Best in the West Triathlon Festival Half Iron - Triathlon

The swim course set-up and start were great. Race began in waves: Men age 44 and under, men 44 and older. women 44 and under, etc. Course was a single loop with sighting buoys every 100 meters. The sighting buoys were really helpful! The turn around buoys were directly in the sun but it wasn't too big of a problem. Swim course was easy to navigate and was not congested with swimmers.I started off a bit too fast and had to slow my pace to catch my breath. But I was eventually able to settle into a rhythm and ended up having a decent swim. I still struggle to swim in a straight line. As a result, my Garmin said I swam 2,342 yards at 1:46/100 yards. Thus, my inability to swim straight cost me an extra ~200 yards.

Slow down a bit at the start and swim straighter.

I forgot to put on my sunglasses and had to do the bike without them. Otherwise, T1 went smoothly.

Remember to put on my sunglasses.

Out and back course on rural country roads. It seemed like there were very few flat segments. I felt like I was always on a gradual ascent/descent with a few bigger hills every few miles. The route was well marked with volunteers at the intersections stopping vehicle traffic so we had the right of way the entire time. Winds were light, which was a nice benefit. However, it was tougher than I expected. The relentless rolling hills took their toll on the legs. I took on what felt like a lot of water and calories (96 oz fluid and ~900 calories) but I was definitely dehydrated on the run. I was able to maintain a steady HR and I put in a consistent and sustainable effort.

Not much, this felt like a pretty solid ride. My goal was 3 hours.

I stumbled getting off the bike and running into transition, but other than that T2 went smoothly.

Nothing really.

This was a really tough run. It really started to heat up (around the low to mid 80's). The course was surprisingly difficult. There were several long rolling hills with big stretches in the direct sun. I struggled with this course and with hydration and nutrition. I began to feel really thirsty about a quarter of the way into the run and I knew I was pretty dehydrated. I tried to take on as much water and electrolytes as I could from the aid stations but this didn't help. I felt sluggish and nauseous for most of the run. My goal was to run 8:00/mile pace and I was only able to maintain this pace for a few miles. I had to walk for several stretches of this course, which is rare for me. I consider myself a pretty strong runner, but this run course kicked my ass and I'm disappointed with my result.

Prepare better for the hills and heat. Develop a better overall hydration and nutrition strategy to avoid problems on the run.

Found some shade and sat down to get breathing and nausea under control. Drank water for a while. After about an hour I was ready for some of the BBQ and a post-race beer. Later on I went and cooled off in the lake - really refreshing!


My lack of preparation both mentally and physically for the difficulty of the run course. I really struggled to mentally to push through the adversity caused by the hills, dehydration and nausea.


This was a great race and I highly recommend it. The RD's did a great job. I really enjoyed the race weekend as a whole. The atmosphere was very positive and friendly. The post race BBQ was great. Come to find out that one of the RD's parents cooked all of the food for the hundreds of athletes. It was fun being able to camp at the race site despite the less than ideal sleep results.