Life Time Tri Tempe - Sprint Course - Triathlon

Rank for men was 13th.

Start of race was what I would expect. we had open water for about the 1st buoy or so, then started running into other heats. I was able to get out front fairly quickly and avoided most of the unintentional bumping that usually happens.

Sighting was impossible with the sunrise and the glare. I am not sure if even brand new metallic goggles would have made a difference. Best bet was to keep the wall on your right side about the same distance from you as when you started.

The 1st roughly third of the race, my arms were very tight, and felt tired. After that I loosened up and the race started to feel better.

Due to being the 14th wave to go, there was quite a bit of passing slower swimmers in the earlier heats. This was annoying, but nothing too difficult.

The buoys throughout were well marked and not terribly hard to see. The finish was marked well and the exit from the water was simple and easy with the use of the handrails.

I would not use the antifog that had put on while in the transition area. I was fine starting in the middle front position, and didn't have many issues. The only thing I would do differently would be swim more prior to the event in training. I think that would stop the arm soreness I felt the first 300 meters.

The transition from the swim had a longer run to the transition area. It was over wet concrete and was, in my opinion slippery and a hazard. I took smaller steps while running and that seemed to make it safe.

Once in the transition area, I was able to dry off, and get on my bike shirt without it rolling up on me. I took my time drying off. Getting on my socks was not an issue. Getting my helmet on was not an issue either. I put on my sunglasses and ran with my bike to the mount line.

Mounting my bike was fine. I was able to peddle on my shoes for probably the first 0.25 miles until it straightened out then finally slipped my feet into my shoes with no issues.

I don't think i would do much different, honestly. I could practice the transition more before the triathlon to make it go more quickly.

This apparently is my weakest of the 3 disciplines according to how I rank among other triathletes, though running is not far behind!

I was actually pleased with this bike ride. I pushed it hard, and that's about as fast as I was going to go on this course, and not completely walk the run portion. I stayed on the big ring the entire time and switched gears only when needed for hills or wind.

I was happy with the average cadence, that I tried to keep between 80 and 90

I hit a GU pack up around mile 9. The drinking seemed to be fine, and I went through most of bottle 1.

My buddy Ed, passed me around mile 9 or 10 and that was fun to see him and race with him,

I was able to come out of my shoes with no issues, and peddled on top of my shoes the last 0.25 miles

I just need more saddle time. Though I'm thrilled with how I did for an average speed, I need to find a way to get the average speed up. That will only happen through more riding.

This transition seemed to go well. Took off my helmet after racking the bike. Placed the helmet on the front handle bar by it's strap.

Stepped into my running shoes, and tied them. I put on my race belt while jogging out of the transition area.

No issues.

Only thing would be to get lazy laces as that would take off a few seconds.

This run was much more difficult than I expected. When I first started running, I felt my thighs wanting to cramp up. It wasn't from a lack of fluid, but from pushing myself harder on the bike than I did in training.

Due to my legs wanting to tighten up on me and the heat, the goal was to just keep a consistent jog throughout the entire run portion and not walk. This jog was definitely not fast, and was about 1.5 to 2 min slower than 4 years ago.

I really wanted more fluid on this run, and I didn't bring a water bottle with me which turned out to be an issue. The aid stations were too far apart for such a hot day.

As with my bike, I just need to train more with running. I would also bring fluid with me in my hand if i was to do this course again.

I may have pushed the bike a bit too hard, which slowed down the run a bit.

For 1 month of training, I was pleased overall.

Nothing, I talked with people and walked around the race site, cheering for people.


My lack of training going into this race was the biggest limiting factor. 1 month is not enough to be competitive. I could also stand to lose a few pounds, the pictures made that painfully obvious :)

The swim helps me, the run and bike hurt me. Pretty easy to see where I need to improve.


Only issue I had was that, for me, there were not enough drink stations along the run.

I may also suggest the run from the swim exit into the grass transition was slippery and could be an issue.