Grand Rapids Triathlon - Half Iron Course - Triathlon

Overall pretty good. I was a bit out too far on the first leg of the triangle, getting out to where the kayaks were, but I feel like that was okay, because I missed out on the general bumping common with the beginning of the race. Did get bopped on the nose right after the 1000yd mark, which threw me off for a little bit, but i the end it turned out okay. No permanent damage (although this morning my left eye is a bit swollen and I have a minor black eye). Swam right up to the exit guys, who were super helpful, as usual.

I need to work on sighting more, as I do tend to drift right when left to my own devices. I think I can push the pace harder too. I looked at my HR data and it is an average of 72bpm, which is low for actually engaging in activity! (I know--it doesn't track well in the water)

Overall, T1 went about as well as it could have, given the LONG run between the water exit and the transition area (~0.5mi). I exited the water well and had the wetsuit strippers help me out of my wetsuit. Had a bit of an issue getting my chacos on for the run, so that slowed me down a bit. Run to the transition area was okay--at least I didn't get passed by spectators walking to transition this time! Once I got to the transition area, things went pretty smoothly. I wish I had taken a moment to put more chamois cream on--I regretted that later.

Put chamois cream on for the ride. 56 miles is a long ride, better safe and happy than sorry.

Bike was TOUGH. There was a tailwind going out to about mile 18, but it was not very strong. Once I got out into the flatter area after the hills it became more noticable, but then we turned and it became a gusting cross-wind of about 20mph with 35mph gusts. The final turn to the turn around (c. 8 miles) was headwind with open fields surrounding, meaning absolutely no relief. Turn around was t the bottom of a hill--jerks. Overall, I did pretty well maintaining pace and power outputs. About half way back after the turn around I realized more chamois cream would have been nice. And just after the hilly bit, as I entered Saranac I did a little dangerous pass on the right of three cars and a cyclist (I passed her on the left) because the bike sag vehicle was training a cyclist going about 12mph and wasn't getting over to let people pass and was blocking a pass to the left ( I would have had to cross into oncomming traffic, if there was any, I don't think there was, but it is against the rules to cross). I think I did it as carefully as possible, but it was still probably illegal. Thankfully, the sag vehicle didn't have a race official in it.

Also had the issue where the tube for my hydration system curled up a bit and it seemed like it was empty when I really had about 10oz of infinit left in the bottle. I need to fix that, because I need my nutrition!

reapply chamois cream in T1
get speedfil tube flattened out

Not much else to do but embrace the suck that was this ride.

Overall, T2 went pretty well. I was able to run to the rack, although after that ride my legs didn't really feel like they wanted to run all that much. I racked my bike and took a minute to put body glide on my feet to prevent blisters. I should have put some on my thighs too, because the chafe was bad after mile 10 or so. All else went pretty smoothly

Body glide thighs!

I was actually really happy with this run, although my stomach wasn't. I ran th entire first two miles, then started doing a bit more conservative with running on the flats, downhills, and the slower grade uphills and walking the steep uphills. That was working for me and I was surprised at how long I actually felt good. I was able to drink infinit for the first five miles, then I didn't want it anymore. My stomach was starting to act up again. I tried the gatorade (watermelon) and pepsi, but mostly stuck with water and ice. At the turn around there is a short segment that goes through a park on a gravel path. It rained the night before, so the path was a bit soft and it was rocky, so I walked that whole segment (~0.75 mile) even though it was flat. I didn't want to risk a turned ankle and I needed a bit of a break. I was putting ice down my bra and in my hat to keep cool. It seemed to be working, perhaps a bit too well, because near the end I started to get cold. Around mile 10 I realized my inner thighs were starting to chafe. Wish I would have put more body glide on in T2. At the mile 11 aid station my stomach violently rejected the gatorade--never barfed during a race, so that was new and not as much fun as you would think! I got caught at mile 10 by the first place finisher in my division. Her run is good, so I knew that I wouldn't be able to catch her. I was still gunning for a sub-3hr finish though, even though I missed my target pace overall (which was very aggressive for the distance, for me!)

Body glide thighs in T2
Try not to barf
maybe not walk the turn around segment, but it would depend on the conditions

Not much. I crossed the finish line and went to get my medals and some food. I had a very melty ice cream bar and then some pulled pork, served on a "plate" made out of a box flap. They ran out of plates because the wind kept blowing them away.


Definitely my stomach was a factor today in at least the bike and the run.

The weather was also pretty brutal on the bike


This is an amazing race! It is well-organized, well-run, and the community support is fantastic. You'll never go wrong with a Tri4Health race.