Kiawah Island Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

first ocean swim and first mass start. i was in the very back of the pack walking to the swim start so by the time i got there, they were announcing the 1 min warning. this gave me no time to get nervous which was great. i had no idea where to start and made the last second decision to move to the front in the middle, very glad i did. it was a pretty good fight through the surf but when i got out past the breakers i just settled in to a good pace and held a good line. i got out quick enough to avoid alot of contact. my spotting was good and my drafting was also good. this was a really good swim for me and i found that i enjoyed the long ocean swim. swim time also includes long run on a beach path (loose sand) to transition.

smooth transition, glad i decided to wash off feet

This was a good bike for me. I gave it my all and was working near 100% for most of the bike. Im learning that im just not that strong of a biker and that i have alot of work to do this off season to improve. I was a little discouraged because i was passed so often and did very little passing myself, but i just kept in mind that ide have 6.2 miles of running to do some passing. it was a very scenic course which was nice. It was also open to traffic so you really had to pay attention. I did see some drafting and alot of people riding side by side which was just stupid on a course open to traffic.

there was nothing i could have done. this winter ill just have to find a good bike plan and work hard at improving.

another good transition

I was very happy with this run. I killed my legs on the bike and knew i was in for a hard day on the run. I had alot of ground to make up from the bike, and i started right away. the first mile was on the beach and people were really struggling so i pushed the pace and passes a dozen people within the first mile. this was a huge boost and much needed. i made the decision early to skip water stations for the first 3 miles and luckily it turned out ok. my thighs started to cramp around mile 3 but it never got too bad. I kept a steady pace for most of the race but i did have to slow down for the last mile as the day started to catch up to me. I somehow found the energy to sprint the last 200 meters for a solid finish.

I probably should stop more to drink. im still awful at drinking while running so ill have to practice that. I also need to train with gatorade so my stomach gets used to it and i can drink it on the course. maybe think about salt tablets?

walked down to the beach for a quick dip in the ocean. ate some pizza and watched the rest of the finishers.

I am very happy about my performance. i wanted to beat 3 hours and my ideal time goal was 2:45. to beat that by alost 7 minutes was really exciting. it proved that my training is working and all the hard work is paying off. this was a great finish to my first season! im proud of all the work that ive done and how far ive come in the last 7 months. im also very excited to see what i can do next year!


i had a great day! i performed about as well as i could at this time.


this was a fun race and i would do it again. the volunteers were great and it was pretty well organized.