Inside-Out Sports Olympic Triathlon at BeaverDam - TriathlonOlympic

I swam around the beach enclosure as a warmup, then simply stood in the sandy part of the beach, awaiting the start with the rest of the athletes. Looking across the water, the wind and chop were a cause for concern for me. It reminded me of that poster of a pool that has a storm over it.

When the RD started the race, I just eased into a rhythm and started at it. This was going to be a LONG swim. It looked long, the water was cold, and the water was rough-ish.

A few times I took a wave right as I was breathing and that threw me off...It was just enough to keep me from getting comfortable. No worries, just keep at it and finish this swim. The REAL race will start once your feet touch ground.

My left goggle filled with with water not long after the start. FAQ! I've had these goggles for a long time, though. It's time to get new ones.

After what seemed like an hour, I finally made the final approach and then felt sand. Yes! Let's do this!

What is comes down to is I really just need to swim more.

The run from the lake to T1 was kind of long and slightly uphill! I was kind of winded going into T1. I was determined to pass anyone that had just exited in front of me.

I could tell HR was high, but my plan was to take the first few miles on the bike easy enough to get it down. Lowering HR on the run was not a priority.

Once in T1, helmet on (some difficulty), race number on, out.

Shoes were on bike, so I ran and did a flying mount. That didn't work out so well, b/c shoes caught on ground and stopped my bike! Gah!

I jumped off and did it again and was off.

Maybe swim with race number on to save that extra few seconds. Also, I tried clipping aero helmet snap 3 times before it went in right. I don't know why it wouldn't snap in...

After mounting bike, I started to look at HR and it was high. 160s. Have to get it down!

I rode moderate effort through the first 10 miles. The weather was cool to cold and the wind was just pushing me back. I tried really hard to get as aero as possible to reduce drag.

I knew I was way behind most of the Under 39 wave b/c of my swim. I figured I'd catch a few on the bike, then try to make up for it on the run.

Started to pass cyclists 1 by 1. I could tell all these ppl were suffering as much as I was in the wind. At times, the headwind was so strong, it felt like I was high zone 4/5 and going 15mph!

I'm happy to say I was not passed by a single cyclist on the course. Everyone ahead of me, I caught.

The final mile of the bike course, you paralleled the run course. I saw at least 10 runners. I knew they were way ahead of me and that it was time to really start the suffering.

After the race, I talked to a few ppl and they all said that the wind cost them a few mph. I agree. I think I rode hard.

I raced the bike well. I was 2AG and 15 OA with my bike split. That's saying ALOT for me, since the bike has never been a strength. All those intervals (and maybe the marathon training) really paid off.

Jumped off bike RIGHT before dismount and ran into T2. Ground was rough and I was hoping I didn't scratch up feet for the run.

Once in T2, took off helmet, grabbed garmin off bike, then put on shoes. The back of shoes folded when I stuck my foot in, so I had to take off and try again.

As I ran out, I tried to set the garmin on the wrist strap...after 3 attempts, it would not snap in...One good look told me the pin had fallen out.

Arg! I started the run, then stuffed the garmin and strap inside the back pockets of my tri top. After the run, when I pulled it out, it had 1 second recorded. The stop button must have been pushed when I stuffed it into my pocket. Arg!

Running shoe backs folded in while I was trying to put them on and that cost me a few seconds. Get a better grip on them next time and put them on.

After messing with my Garmin, decided it was not important enough to spend more than a few seconds on. It was time to run...

I started to run and I could tell this was going to be a sufferfest. No worries, it's all good! That's why I'm here. Suffer now, rejoice later. :)

As on the bike, no one passed me on the run. I tried really hard to just stay steady, focus, and catch the next person.

The hills on this course were constant. A lot of times, I saw ppl walking once they started a climb. I thought to myself, this is where I'm going to make up the most time...the hills.

In the last mile, I saw a guy that had a 30-something on his calf...I didn't think I'd catch him, but tried anyways. I was cramping pretty hard in my right calf and left quad, but decided to catch the guy. It came down to the last quarter mile. He picked it up when he heard me, but I passed him and beat him by two seconds in the overall standings. After the race, he told me I was a meanie for doing that to him. We laughed, chatted, then parted ways.

This was a tough run. The fastest runner threw down high 39s. I was 3OA on run split. No way could I have gone any faster.

Walked, got nutrition and hydration, and chatted with my wife and my buddy Rod. Talked with a few racers and we talked about the race conditions.


The weather was the biggest factor, but that was out of my control. Otherwise, lack of swimming.


FS Series is a class act. Small race, but I can see good things happening to this organization. They're quality. I would not hesitate to do another.