Nautica South Beach Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic

Last year I was able to pull about 2 minutes per 100 yards in the classic race without a wetsuit so I'm not sure why my time was so bad this year. Granted I didn't swim a lot leading up to the race but I've been swimming 30 minute / 1650 yds in the pool consistently. Part of my problem was that I didn't pay attention to how many buoy's there were on the course, and everytime we came up to one, I thought that was the turn in. I know my sighting wasn't the best but overall I felt good on the swim. I was dissapointed to see the time I put up here.

Speed training on the swim - I can swim the distances but not overly fast

It was a long run to my bike, but a short run out. Took my time to grab everything and take a drink before I got onto the bike

Go faster

Big difference vs. last year's race, I had a tri bike versus a road bike. That translated into almost a 4mph gain (also probably in better shape vs. last year)

I think it was windier than last, but I did well trying to maintain my effort on the bike. This may have led to my downfall on the run, but at the time I didn't feel like I was pushing myself too much. I did lose my water bottle about 5 miles in which messed up my hydration plan. I did end up getting some gatorade from the aide station but I didn't finish it. Overall I'm happy with the speeds I pulled.

I rented a tri bike, but two things I would've changed. First, I should have brought my own saddle. I chaffed pretty good on the stock saddle. Second - more time on the bike. I think part of the problem for me losing the water bottle was me not used to the bottle cage. I think more time on the bike would've helped with this.

Long run with the bike back to my spot and then I found that someone had put a wetsuit where my bike was to be racked. I don't think that took up too much time but I did have to mess around with that for a few seconds. I could've gone faster with putting on my shoes and running with putting the race belt on.

Almost immediately into the run, I could my legs getting very heavy, and my quads were on the verge of cramping. I was hoping it would go away but by the turn around I could tell it was only going to get worse. I was able to maintain an average pace on the way out. I tried to take in some more shot blocks and drink gatorade in hopes that the cramps would go away.

After the turn around, I took a few walk stops to massage the quads. Nothing really worked and I just pushed myself the last 1/2 mile to not walk through the finish. The quads never did fully lock up, but I was worried about pushing it too hard. The heat actually wasn't too bad vs. last year since I'm guess I was on the course earlier, but it didn't help the cramps from flaring up.

In addition - this was the first time I ran without socks in a race - bad news. I ended up getting some pretty nasty blisters from what I believe was the sand under my feet. By the end of the race the combination of the sand and my cramps, I had a terrible last half.

This was a disappointing run since I had focused so much on running during the off season. Though I did run better than I did last year, it wasn't what I was hoping for during the race.

Stick with the nutrition plan, hydrate often on the bike given my propensity of cramps on hot races. Wear socks on the run

grabbed some water, waited for my wife to finish. Took in the scene afterwards, grabbed some free food and then took off. Spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach.


Cramping on the run coupled with the blisters. Need to find the right balance of nutrition on the bike to ensure that I won't cramp up on the run


This is my second year doing South Beach and I plan to continue the tradition. It's a great early season race for us northerners and a reason to make it down south in early spring. I know not everyone loves the scene down there, but I do. I love Ocean Drive and the beach. It was great to relax the afternoon of the race and then follow that up with some cocktails in the evening. If you enjoy good nightlife, the sun and triathlons, South Beach is a great destination race.