Hy-Vee Triathlon 5150 U.S. Championship - TriathlonOlympic

One of my better performances in the swim. It was a time trial start, with 4 people going in every 4 seconds running in from the beach. About two steps into the water it dropped off quite a bit. I dove in and was off and running. Came up on the group in front of us right away. The start method was very easy to navigate people and pass. I only saw one other Purple swim cap that passed me. Tried hanging on but I'm sure he was the fastest in our age group. At one point, the water must have been low because there were people walking?!?!?! I did not want to do that since I was moving nicely.

Got kicked a couple of times but did more damange to others than was done to me. Rounded the last turnaround bouey, looked at my watch and was happy with my pace. Started going with really long smooth strokes and was passing people left and right. Felt great. Peed twice! That felt great. Got to the shore line, and took off up the hill. The Swim out was narrow but I slipped by some walkers with ease.

Wore my blue Speedo goggles. No fogging issues at all. I thought the sun was going to be an issue as it was rising in the horizon of the return route but it did not seem to bother me at all.

Try to hang on to the one guy in my AG that passed me on the water for a little longer. Overall, very happy with my swim.

Practice more bi-lateral breathing. Bouyes were on my left and I breathe to my right. Not a big deal since I was sighting often, but breathing to my left would also help me navigate more people to pass or passing me.

Wet suit got stuck on my Garmin while running and on my chip strap on my right heel. Frustrating, but okay. The Run with my bike went well. Almost mounted my bike early. Course was marked fine, I was just an idiot.



Practice suit removal over my Garmin and a chip strap. Otherwise, maybe run faster.

The bike went fast. Started out on a narrow road on the North side of the lake. Apparantly there was a no passing zone, but I did not see signs and went flying by people. Right turn onto Fluer drive then another right on MLK. Turns were going well. Had to slow a little but geared down to hop up into pace really fast. Passing tri bikes often. Took a couple of more turns and went into Water Works park. No one was around me?? Looked back and there were people behind me. I was just in a sweet spot of clear roads. George Flagg was bumpy, really bumpy. Out to the airport with some good sized hills to climb and decend. All the hill work that I get in helped out. I was able to roll some hills while others got into slow climb mode. Lots of complaints about how hard the ride was. I thought it was easy and fast. Easily my best bike performance to date.

Passed a fully tricked out Cervelo rode by a guy with a 28 on his leg. His comment, how am I getting passed by a guy that is older than me and on a road bike?? SWEET.

Came back into Gray's lake park flying. A little traffic jam of bikes but I was able to get through quickly. Got my feet out of my shoes, rode with them on top of the shoes and dismounted just in front of the line and took off.

I had two Gu's taped to the top bar and 40 oz of fluid on the bike. Gotta come up with a plan for empty Gu disosal. Hate to litter but one of the packets fell out of my hands and I have no idea where the other one ended up.

Couple of times I got up out of the saddle to hammer and I felt a little tightening in my left calf. Not sure if this was a cramp or just a muscle freak out.

My aero bottle had the Elixer tab but my back up bottle was just water. I probably should have put a tablet in the back up bottle to keep nutrition up.

I want to get a tri bike to increase the average MPH up to about 25. I think I could have done that on this ride.

Still putting socks on to run. Haven't made the decions to go sockless. Bike racked up nicely but my wetsuit was in the way. It was a crowded rack. I may get a new pair of shoes that are intended to go sockless in to speed up T2 but I really don't want blisters. All the pros are sockless and most of the elites so maybe they know something I don't. Got my shoes on, took off with my hat, race belt, and bandana (because I sweat, alot!!)

Consider the no socks option with different shoes. Otherwise, I went as fast as I could go in T2.

The crowd was awesome. Pretty much the entire route had people cheering us on. One guy in my age group flew by me on the run. He bonked later and was walking when I passed him. Only one or two guys passed me in my AG on the run. I did alot of damage passing people this year which was completely different than last year.

Ran past one bar that was rocking out with some good tunes! The route in town was flat until the end. Coming over the river you see the Captial building and think you are getting close to the end. I remember from last year that we have to turn away from the capital and run back towards Downtown. Course was well marked. Crowd was great. Tons of volunteers with water and gatorade. The second to last turn you get to see "The Hill". Last year I was struggling. This year I felt great. Saw the 71 year old in the speedo that I saw on the bike and thought I could catch him. I was impressed with his confidence wearing the speedo the entire time, even after the race, after the awards, and on the shuttle. Awesome.

Made the final turn to the blue carpet and took off sprinting. Passed several people and finished with my hands in the air. Stopped my Garmin and saw 2:22 (8 minutes ahead of my goal and 17 minutes faster than last year!!!!).

Most of the run was smooth. I really think I could have pushed harder but I was nervous about the Pigman Cramps again. In fact, at 5.5 miles I felt a little cramp in my left quad. Got some water and never felt it again.

Mile 1: 7:24
Mile 2: 7:29
Mile 3: 7:38
Mile 4: 7:40
Mile 5: 7:53
Mile 6: 8:04

2: 1:27 (7:25 pace)

First 3 miles was what I wanted. In the 7:30 range. I think I relaxed too much in miles 4 and 5. Course was virtually flat as a board. Small little up and down spots on the trail but into downtown was flat. Should have pushed harder since this will be my last tri for the season. However, nearly a minute faster per mile than last year, so not to unhappy when its all said and done.

In the athletes area had water, gaterade, fruit etc. Wells Blue Bunny was giving away their big ice cream sandwhiches. Got a couple and smuggled them to Stacey and the boys. Waited for Diane, Eric, and Stacy to finish. Nick was already done and won the 5150 Clydedales. Diane got 3rd in her AG!! Stacy beat 3 hours by 1 minute. Got her goal too. Eric had a rough run. Had to walk but still, longest Tri he has ever done and had a great swim. Got 16th in the Clydes, just out of 5150 rankings.

I kept checking my race results. First one I got said I was in 9th. I know that can change as more people cross the line. Went back and checked again about 5 minutes later. Still in 9th. Oh baby, 5150 qualifying, I just know it. 10 minutes later I checked again and I was still in 9th. Officially Top 10 in my Age Group M 35-39 and qualified for the 5150 US Championships for next year.

Not much of a warm down. Was going to get a massage but the line was 60+ minutes long and I knew the kids wouldn't last that long. Walked around a bit, jogged just a bit in the athletes area. What's the point? I'm done for the season anyways.

We waited around for awards and headed back to Gray's Lake on the shuttle. Shuttle took over an hour and half to get on it. The organizers had issues since they needed to reroute the pros due to the river being low. Next year we need a better strategy for communication with Stacey. won't bring the kids either. They were ridiculous to her and very naughty. It's too bad because they would really enjoy this event going forward.


Overall, good race. I would like to invest in a tri bike to see if I can improove in my bike time. Felt very strong on the bike and run but I think I can go sub 40 minutes in the run on a 10K some time in my life. I will work harder on my run training over the winter and will definetly do some more BRICKS.

Need to heal up now. Feet are sore. I may have a minor stress fracture in both feet but don't know for sure. My back is sore but is much better than I thought it would be. Probably just need an adjustment.


Hy Vee does a great triathlon. This is easily the premiere event I get to participate in. Getting 9th in my AG allows me to run in the 5150 Championship next year and I will be there hell or high water. I was very happy with all stages of my race and will always promote this event to my tri club.

Things to think of next year:
Have a better strategy to get from Capital back to Gray's Lake. Maybe Stacey can drive the car back to downtown and park at the Bar Association lot. Great spot that is close to the condo Nick and Amber stay at. Easy way to get back to transition then.
Need to give Stacey my cell phone after transition closes. Not sure what I will do if I can't find her though.
Figure out a better plan for after event real food. Jimmy Johns was a good idea too.
Great job Hy Vee.!!!!!!