Lumberman Triathlon - Half Iron Course - Triathlon

Swim was not too bad, however, after the start, we were essentially swimming direclty into the sun. A group of us (probably 15+) turned too quickly before the last bouy, and added a few minutes (and meters) to our distance. This was not a marking issue. 3D does a great job setting up the course and explaining everything. However, during a follow the leader scenario, make sure you are following the right person. Thankfully, one of the girls on the jet ski yelled at us that we were going the wrong way!

COUNT THE BOUYS!!! I have never had to do this before, but for longer distances, it may be a good practice.

Pretty pleased with T1. No major hangups. I was on the inner-most rack, closest to the wall, but there was plenty of spacing between bikes.

Possibly take a few extra minutes to spray sunscreen, but whatever...the tan will even out over the rest of the summer.

Well, about 200 yards out of transition, I flatted out...rear tire. F'ing awesome. Yup, I was the guy with the P2 upside-down, changing a tire...200 YARDS OUT OF T1!! Really? I had never changed a tire before (either in a race or on training rides), but thankfully I watched a few You Tube videos on how to do it. However, it still took me 20+ miinutes to change. A HUGE shout out to Tim from Infinite Multisport for hooking me up with a tube. I had two, but did not realize they were the wrong size.

After a race killing delay, i hopped back on my bike and went along on my marry way...hoping that I could catch a few people. About 5 miles in, I heard a squeaking sound...Yup...both front and back wheels were rubbing the inside of the fork and frame. Are you F'ing kidding me rignt now? So, back off the bike, flip it over, adjust the wheels so they stop rubbing the frame and hop back on...again.

The rest of the first half was fine. Lots of downhills...lots of speed.

After the turn, whole different story. Kenny said the hills were challenging (which they were) but coupled with the 5-10mph headwind, it made for a difficult 28 miles back in.

I realized I was not going to PR today, so I just kept my cadence at 85, heart rate at 145-155bpm, and rode back into town.

TEST DRIVE YOUR BIKE BEFORE GOING TO TRANSITION! I have a feeling my tire was leaking even before I setup T1. The tires and tubes maybe had 200 miles on them, but you never know. Check over equipment to make sure I have everything I need to deal with mechanical issues.

Just as a word of wisdom:

If you have never changed a tire, you tube it and pratcie it a few times. You do not have to be an expert, but just understand how to do it. I would suggest practicing on both a front and rear. You want to make sure you can get your chain back on quickly, and minimize how greasy you are.

Again, knew I was not going to PR, so I took my sweet ass time in T2.

Probably care more. I checked out mentally after the flat and just decided to not kill myself and simply finish.

Just took my time on this. Trying to make up almost 30 minutes on the run was not going to happen. The combination of the heat and the hilly bike course was setting me up for a miserable run. I felt good off the bike (ran my first mile in 8:15), but realized it was not sustainable. So, I walked a fair amount for the first 3+ miles, took in some fluids, and then walked every aid station, ran in between.

Try not let a flat tire/mechanical destroy my race. IT is what it is, and there is not much that can be done. I still finished the race, but I definitely mailed it in on the run.

Found a tree with some shade and sat down. Also, jumping in the lake to cool off and wash off was the best part of my day.


Training was ok leading up to this race, but my lack of practice with regard to flat tires, and performing a better inspection of my bike was the determining factor of a bad race. This all could have been avoided, but I did not take the time to do tend to my bike.


Overall, I thought this was a well managed race by Kenny and 3D. It is a great venue, but still did not have a huge turnout (I believe there were ~275 between all athletes).

I have come to expect that 3D is not going to do finisher's medals for a lot of their races, but for a 70.3, I think it is a necessity. People train much too hard and too long to cross the finish line for a potato sack and a mason jar. The raffle at the very end was nice (I did not win a $250 Rudy Project gift certificate...would have been nice).

I will have to consider other 70.3's earlier in the season. This was my first year at Lumberman, and I am not sure if I will return for the 70.3. Perhaps an Olympic, but I think there may be better options for 70.3's in early-mid season. I am a big advocate for 3D because I think Kenny, Ann Marie, and Jay run good races, but this one did not quite meet my full expectations. I will be competing at the Festival of Races in early September, so I'll see if that one is better.