Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - Triathlon

I positioned myself to the left and rear to avoid any contact. I felt pretty good from the beginning and felt my sighting was a lot better than the first race. I stayed pretty far left even at the turn buoys so I swam quite a bit of extra distance, but I was comfortable the whole time so I think for my first wave start it was the right decision. If I was a better swimmer I think in water this warm I would go without the wet suit as I was very warm during the swim.

Learn to swim faster and get more comfortable around others so I can swim a more direct route.

I used the wetsuit strippers and had a pretty long run to my bike. Dried feet, put on socks, helmet and sunglasses and was off. Stopped for a spray of sun screen and then mounted with no issues.

Not much at my level of experience

I felt pretty good from the start and since I was on a loaner bike and had not done a lot of riding not on a trainer, I was a little cautious to begin. There was a lot of traffic as it seemed I was either being passed or passing someone the entire course. I eventually settled in and stayed in aero quite a bit. I was fairly aggressive on the hills. The loaner bike saddle felt quite a bit different but it wasn't terrible. I was sipping gatorade from my aero bottle and taking a gu about every 45 minutes. I took a water bottle on the last aid station to refill the aero bottle.

Maybe go a little faster in the downhills and flats; more ride time outside to improved bike handling and comfort; not take bike in for recall work two weeks before race since apparently it takes 10 days for Felt to get the part to the LBS and the LBS will not release your recalled bike until it is fixed, no matter what you threaten.

Had a long run from dismount to my spot and my legs were really wobbly. I took a little extra time to catch my breath and get shoe laces tight; Stopped for sunscreen on the way out.

same as t1, felt ok for my current experience

I spotted my wife and 3 girls almost immediately after leaving transition which was great. I started out pretty strong but my stomach gave me issues almost from the beginning. I held my pace for the first 3 miles but had to hit the porta-john twice in the next 2 miles. This stopping kind of killed my rhythm and finally got the stomach to settle after taking some Coke. From there it was run from aid station to aid station to complete the first lap. As I started lap 2 I had to start walking the hills and the aid stations, but kept moving forward the whole time. I managed to run the last 3/4 of a mile to the finish.

I need to figure out whether my issues were nutrition related or overcooking on the bike. My guess is a little of both.

I finished and grabbed a water to try and cool down a little. Julie and the girls came over and I was glad to see them and take some pictures. They went to grab some lunch and I made my way through the food and found a chair in the shade. After about 10 minutes I walked back for a slice of pizza and cookies.


Generally was about the time I expected overall, but after seeing where I was off the bike, I thought I should have broken 6 hours. I need to solve my stomach issues late (same issues at marathon a month earlier) and I am sure my legs and especially my right achilles had not fully recovered from the marathon. For my first HIM distance and 2nd overall triathlon I am pretty pleased.


The support and overall race were awesome, although I don't have much background to compare to.