Topeka Tinman Triathlon - Long Course - TriathlonLong Course

This was a great swim for me and I really needed it after such a terrible performance two weeks prior.
They launched all men 40+ together and after the first 200 meters I was pretty much by myself. The first leg was tough only because we were swimming directly into the sun, but once I made that first turn it was completely smooth sailing.
At the final turn, I did catch up to someone and used them for drafting to the end.

Nothing, this was an outstanding swim for me!

The one way to ruin a great swim, get your heel stuck in the wetsuit....

Once I got past that, this transition was fine. The transition area wasn't very big and I was right next to the bike out, so I didn't have far to run with my bike and shoes.

be smoother getting out of the wetsuit. Clearly, I have been spoiled by Ironman's use of wetsuit strippers.

I was hoping for a little more on this bike, but I underestimated the impact of the winds and the size of the hills on the course.
That being said, I did a decent job of staying right in the zone that I wanted to be in and just accept what the course gave me. I did notice some stretches were I was clearly overpedaling and that would come back to bite me later on the run.

Just continue to work on the bike and improve

Nothing special here, came into transition and quickly changed shoes, grabbed my visor and belt and took off.

Nothing, good transition for me

By the second mile, I knew I was in trouble. The heat was very intense and my legs were not recovering like the should. I knew that I had pushed a little too much on the bike!
Decided to walk the water stops (roughly one each 1.5 miles). This is my normal 70.3 strategy, so between the heat and everything, I thought this would be the best approach. Kept a pretty decent 8:55-9 pace until the second half of the course. At that point, the path got away from the lake, and without the breeze, the heat was simply oppressive. My walks started to come more frequently, and the water stops were not regular enough to help keep cool.
In fact, until the last two stops, there was only warm water and warm gatorade. Finally got some ice at the final stop, but it was definitely too little, too late there.
Still, once I made the final turn, I ran in the last 1/2 mile and was thrilled to spot my 5 year old son ready to run into the finish with me!

Need to get back to my runner roots.

I've never been a good heat runner, and not really sure what to do about that

Did some stretching and relaxed in transition with some fellow athletes for a bit before beginning the long walk back to the car.


Running in the heat


This race has been going on for 35 years and as such it is a nicely organized race. The race is traditionally hot and windy (you are in Kansas), but overall still a fun time.
The downsides are around the support. There is no bike support and the run support is not consistent. The water stations are sporadic and don't have much to offer (hello, ice would be nice).
The finish is great, and this year they added a nice finisher's medal. I loved the free beer at the finish, but really they didn't have much else to offer. They had Sonic breakfast burritos, but that just doesn't sit well with my stomach. No chocolate milk, no bananas, just water, gatorade, burritos and beer.