Big Foot Triathlon - Olympic Course - Triathlon

Felt good and my wave did not seem as larger as previous waves. Got into good clean water right after the first turn buoy. Felt strong but my sighting was not the best. It's hard with the dog leg as they warn you stay along the buoy line and not cut. I was kind of in the middle of the two points. At the turnaround, swallowed some water and either the chop was up or the number of swimmers was really concentrated. Seemed like a long time back to the finish. I was shooting for 27:xx (last year was 28:37) but I came in around 29:30 based on my Garmin. They moved the timing mat this year to be closer to T1 so that why my official swim time was almost 31 minutes,

Not sure. Last week I smoked a sprint OWS. Better sighting might have helped here. Should have tried to cut more of the dog leg like others.

Wet suit was stuck on the timing chip. Once off, I made sure to drink water and a bit of Infinite before leaving. Ran to bike out and got started.

Figure out how to get that suit over the chip. Last week, no problem.

OK, this is where it gets ugly. I had high hopes for this bike, but we immediately ran into a headwind coming from the south. The first 10 miles or so all head south or west. I tried to make sure I kept my cadence up even if it meant switching to an easier gear. I began mentally calculating how much I could conserve before we caught the tailwind in. It was getting hot and I was drinking water from my A2. My Infinite was on my seat post, and as I reached down to get it, I lost concentration/side wind caught me and I left the road for a narrow gravel shoulder. Over corrected and crashed onto my left side. Smacked my head pretty good, nasty scrape on my shoulder and knee plus I banged my right knee on the bike hard. Several people stopped to see if I was alright, including one of my tri teamates. I was OK, slightly out of sorts and more than a bit embarressed. After a quick check to make sure no broken bones or a concussion, I told everyone to get going and I was fine. Took me a bit to gather myself, but was soon riding again. Bike seemed OK but I was very conservative for a few miles. Once we picked up the tailwind, I started pushing again. Had no idea of my pace at that time because my Garmin hit lap when I fell. I just stopped the watch and concentrated on not falling again. Soon was at the downhill into the park. Several volunteers asked if I was OK since I had a nice raw bleeding shoulder.

Um, not crash? That has never happended before. I had my aero wheel and disc cover but am used to them and the wind. Just a lack on concentration. Last year I did this bike in 1:10:xx so I was not unhappy with the time this year. Without the crash, I probably was right around the same time, which would have been good considering the wind.

Gathered myself, splashed some water on my wound and got moving. Switched my Garmin to running mode for my run. Felt fine but it was really hot and humid now. Grabbed some water on the way out.

The crash had me shaken a bit but I was determined to complete the race. I felt OK and didn't seem otherwise affected. Turns out not to be true.

The past 2 days of rain left the course slippery and muddy. Started off well and then the heat started to get to me. Had gels with me so I took some before the first water station. Started to not feel well from the heat and then my right knee really started to hurt. By mile 4, I was basically walking or "running" while dragging my right leg. Just resigned myself to finish the race and forget about any goals I had. Crossed the finish line and had several people, including teamates asking if I was OK. Felt fine but headed to the medical tenet.

I do not think I should have quit after the bike, but this run really probably exacerbated my right knee injury. I also need more trail time as I am not comfortable running around rocks and stumps.

Drank some water, posed for a picture of my bloody shoulder and headed to medical. Got in and seated. They saw I was not in any distress, so after taking my name, they cleaned and bandaged my shoulder. I was eating my banana and bagel and felt well otherwise. They had the doctor look at my knee and I bruised my bursa sac. Shrink wrapped a bag of ice around the knee and I was good to go. Looked like an idiot walking back to transition with all the bandages. Called my wife to tell her I was OK.


The crash. That was just poor cycling on my part and have no one to blame. The heat affected my run more than I thought it would.


I even skipped the beer tent this year. Wanted to get my crap packed up and retrun home to better assess my injuries. More ice, some Advil and vodka.