ITU World Triathlon Chicago - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
ITU World Triathlon Series
77F / 25C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 25m 7s
Overall Rank = 380/1716
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 50/227
Pre-race routine:

Had a good weekend in Chicago with the family. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency. I got up at 4:30 and took a cab to the race start around 4:45. Arrived at transition around 5:00. My wave wasn't going off until 7:30, but we needed to be out of transition by 5:45. It was raining from 5:00-5:30. Just enough to get me damp for my walk to the swim start. Walked to the swim exit and then along the lake to the swim start. Then hung out at the swim start until 6:30.
Event warmup:

They let us in the water about 5 minutes before our wave started. The water was a bit chilly, but once you got in and had a few initial gasps for air because of the cold, it felt great.
Swim
  • 29m 24s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 58s / 100 meters
Comments:

Started out in a bit of crowd. I saw white swim caps ahead of me after the first 200 yards and couldn't believe I caught that group that quickly. I hadn't! They were coming towards me. I just kept further left and sighted more often to avoid a head to head. The water was clear so I could see the people ahead and to the side of me. As a result, I was able to draft a bit. I thought the course might have been a bit long because I felt like I had a great swim, but my time didn't reflect it. Anyway, I swam to the ramp and they had great volunteers helping us out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. It was a good swim.
Transition 1
  • 04m 2s
Comments:

Run from water to transition was a bit long. The transition area was big and there were no breaks in the rows, so you had to remember what row you were in. I fortunately did. My transition went well. Took me a few extra seconds to get the wetsuit over my heels. The rows were crowded, but I didn't get stuck behind anyone in T1.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 00m 53s
  • 22.7 miles
  • 22.37 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my favorite bike course in an Olympic ever! The underground was great. No wind and fun. I'll take the occasional whiff of urine and sewage over wind any day of the week. There was a bit of rough road and eye adjustment from day light to underground as you go on the lower part of Columbus. But it was fun.

It was a tad bit bumpy in some places. Because of this bumpiness, I happened to eject two water bottles. I hope nobody hit them and if you want to report me for a penalty, I'll take it :) In addition, my spare tube came lose just as I got into the tunnel on my final lap. The tube wedged itself between my tire and my bike frame and brought me to a screeching halt where pedals wouldn't turn and rear wheel would not move. I lost a little over a minute as I had to loosen my wheel, unwedge the tube, put tube in my shorts, and get going again. That could have been much worse. I looked at the tire after the race and it is really worn down in the skid spot, another 5 feet and my tube would have been toast.

Due to bottle ejection, I had 0 nutrition and only 1 bottle of water. I rationed the water through the whole ride and seemed to do just fine.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure spare tube is fastened in well. Also figure out how to keep water from popping out of the gorilla cages.
Transition 2
  • 03m
Comments:

Long run from dismount to "bike in", then to the furthest end of transition with my bike. Sock, shoes on, grab hat, simple hydration bottle with Infinit, and race belt. I got stuck behind a slow biker exiting transition as I was heading out of my row and couldn't get around her, but that only cost me a few seconds.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 00m
  • 5.9 miles
  •  min/mile
Comments:

I loved the course. It was pretty congested and I was dodging some people throughout, but the run around the fountain was awesome (but a little evil since you run by the finish line 3 times before you actually get to cross it). As soon as I got on the run, I took some Infinit Napalm since I had 0 nutrition and minimal water up until that point. I then washed it down with some water. When you got to the brick part around the fountain, the temperature seemed to go up by 10 degrees and the air was still. I noticed that when watching the elite women on Saturday.

Had water from time to time to stay hydrated. I felt my gut getting a little queazy at two points. I took a salt tab and had a physical effect or a placebo effect, but either way, it worked.

I slowed down a bit on the second half to try and keep my HR in check, but at the last u turn before you get the fountain, I picked it up a bit. Once I got to the fountain for the last time, I kicked it in a bit, saw the family as I was crossing the finish line.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked through the athlete area, grabbed 2 bottles of water and a banana, then went to meet the wife and kids.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The screeching halt due to my tube getting wedged into my tire had about a 1 minute impact on my bike and lack of nutrition/hydration on the bike may have taken a bit of a toll on my run.

Event comments:

This race was awesome. For the amount of people who did this race and for this being the first time, it was excellent. Running across the finish line with the grandstands and having the hype that goes with ITU was worth the trip to Chicago. The only thing that could be done differently is doing a better job with the body marking and maybe more signage so people knew where to go.

Great race!




Last updated: 2014-02-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:24 | 1500 meters | 01m 58s / 100meters
Age Group: 66/227
Overall: 507/1716
Performance: Good
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Out north along the seawall for about 1/4 mile, turnaround and come back towards the start and keep going to the swim exit.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:02
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:00:53 | 22.7 miles | 22.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 50/227
Overall: 376/1716
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: The course was short (SO I adjusted that in my RR. It was an awesome 4 loop course with about 50% or more spent underground with no wind and fast roads.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:00:00 | 05.9 miles |  min/mile
Age Group: 79/227
Overall: 548/1716
Performance: Average
Course: 3.5 laps around the park and around the fountain. Good crowd support throughout. I am putting the course at 5.9 miles.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5