Columbia Triathlon - Triathlon

The swim went better than any other OWS I've done. I got new goggles before the race so I didn't have to deal with them fogging up. Because of this, I was able to clearly see the next bouy and didn't have to worry about cleaning my goggles mid-swim. I also was able to draft off some pretty decent swimmers. This saved me so much energy. I put some faith into their sighting technique and didn't bother sighting for the first out section and just followed thier ankles. After rounding the buoy and catching the next wave in front, I felt warmed up and moved ahead. I got a great line and would say my sighting was above average for me. I got done the swim and felt good, but a little dizzy as I always do in T1.

This was a PR swim for me. I want to get more comfortable with bi-lateral breathing, since I breathe every other stroke on the left side. A copule of times it meant swallowing water from the person swimming next me.

Coming out of the water, I'm always a little dizzy before I get my land legs back. I walked to the transition area as I pulled off my goggles and swim cap and my wet suit to my waist. Once in T1, I ran to my bike. I had trouble getting my wetsuit off and had to hold on to the racks to keep from falling, but got it off eventually. Putting my bike shoes on I couldn't get the cilps to go in so that was a little frustrating. I got my race belt on, my bike, my helmet, and I was off.

I wouldn't do anything differently, but need to figure out a better system for getting my wetsuit off.

Of the three disciplines, my biking is by far my weakest. Before my wave went off, the announcer said there were a few pretty bad wrecks on the bike becuase of the rain, so I went a little more cautiously than I would have if it were dry. I took the tunrs especially easy and didn't stay aero on the downhills to keep my speed under control. The great thing about this course is that most of the downhills are followd by an uphill. While on paper the elevation looked nasty, it wasn't too bad since you could get some speed going up the hill from the previous hill. Being a smaller guy, I was able to get in a comfortable gear where I could spin up the hill around 90+ RPM and I was passing people like crazy going uphill. The downside of being small is that gravity doesn't help you on the downhill, and everyone I passed going up eventually passed me going down. This course was so scenic and I loved it. It kept your mind off the hills and sometimes forgot I was racing. Keeping an eye on everyones calf, I didnt' notice anyone from my AG that passed me on the bike. Overall, my nutrition on the bike included 1 gel and a full waterbottle with 2 scoops of HEED. Felt great and only off my bike PR by about a minute. Considering the conditions and the difficulty of the course, I'll take it.

Nothing. I felt like I tackle this course in a smart way to set me up for a strong run. i did get stuck behind a couple cars, which was frustrating.

There's a big hill that you have to walk your bike down. Well, I fell down that hill. Embarssing. I got my bike racked, put 2 gels in my tri suit, got my shoes on and went.

Not fall down the hill.

This run is worse than it looks on paper. Immediatley, you're greeted with a hill that has switchbacks. After that, there is no flat part of the course until you get to that last half mile. I took in a gel immediately coming out of transition and washed it down with some water. The run is my strongest leg, so I knew I could close the gap with the others in my AG. I took the first 2 miles to get my legs use to running and getting the bike to run feeling to go away. I took in some water and gatorade at every aid station and passed my training partner at mile 1.5 from the wave in front of me. It was great to see him running strong and he gave me some good words of encouragement. With that, I got up "gatorade hill" and at mile 3, I passed a person from my AG. Once in the neighborhood, I started to cramp up so I took in my second gel and got some gatorade at an aid station. That definitely helped and my legs started to loosen up after another half mile. Around mile 5, going back towards the lake, I passed and ran with another person in my AG. We ran together until about mile 5.5 and then I hit the gas. I felt amazing. Crossing the finish chute, I saw 3:15 on the clock. Taking away the 55 minutes from my wave being wave 12, I figured I was somewhere around 2:20. 6 minutes faster than my previous PR!!

I feel like I paced myself pretty well on this run, especially considering the challenge of the steep hills. For next year, I know that I can push myself a little harder and that my body can handle more.

After finishing, I got some water and a banana and stretched. Got into some warm clothes and waited for my friends to finish.


I felt great the entire race. I feel the only limiter was the wet roads on the bike. The actual temperature was great.


I love Tri Columbia events. I have completed this race and Eagleman and both have been spectacular. They always have a great pro field, great volunteers, and great organiziation. Coming into this race, I knew it was gonig to be challenging and it always brings out the best AG in the region. I pushed myself hard and finishing was the best feeling. I stayed around for the awards to see where I placed, and found out I won my AG. It was sucha great feeling and gives me a lot of confidence going into Rev3 Quassy and Ironman Lake Placid later this year.

Congratulations to everyone who finsihed the course. An already challenging course was made even more challenigng by the wet weather. And a big thankyou to the organizers and all the volunteers and on course support.