YMCA Colonial Beach International Triathlon - Triathlon

High tide occurred at 0728 - with the first wave going off at 0650 - so on the long outbound leg of the race we were swimming into the oncoming tide and a fair amount of chop. The course was well marked but it was definitely slow going.

The run from the swim exit to transition was quite short. The run from transition to the bike mount line was longer because the road just outside transition was dirt/gravel and we ran down it until we got to pavement.

The heat/humidity started to build on the return trip but the way out was rather pleasant. The rollers started about 2 miles outside of town and continued to the turn-around point. My impression was that there was a slight downhill grade on the way back but the Garmin data I looked at later didn't really back that up.. I also measured the total distance to be a little less than 24 miles.

Pretty much the reverse of the run out from T1.

If this race were held in mid-September or mid-May, for example, this would be a fast run course. However, for today, we had 100% humidity from the beginning and the sun was out. Luckily, there was ice-cold water and cold towels at the water aid stations - which definitely helped.

A good, challenging, mid-season race that - with the currents, weather, and rollers - will identify weaknesses in your preparation...