Great Floridian Triathlon - TriathlonFull Ironman

Not clear if this was fresh water, salt water, or coca-cola. I've never swum in black water before, and it's pretty strange. Goggles were kicked off early in the race, but because the strap was under my cap, they didn't go anywhere. Decided to swim the course wide as a result. As the sun came up it really messed with sighting, so I just sort of prayed and followed the others.

I understand there are aligators in Florida, and I couldn't help but think they were laying in wait to munch on one of the slower triathletes. Maybe that's why I shaved nearly 10 minutes off my time from last year's full distance triathlon.

I could fill our backyard pool with warm Coca-Cola and swim in it, I suppose.

Came into the changing tent and all the little chairs were taken, so I just sat on the grass and ended up taken a lot of it with me. Lathered up with sun screen, which turned out to be a good idea, although I must not have applied it right; as I was heading out on the bike someone said, "look at his war paint." Age group transition ranking was 13th, so I must have been having more fun in there than I remembered.

I could have sped this up a bit if I had a place to sit.

This was one wild bike ride. First, it was hot as Hades (record high temperature), with hills and humidty to boot. I kept cool by dumping freezing water on my head at the rest areas, so I was soaking wet for the entire ride.

At one point, a racer ahead of me fell, and got back up, just a bit shaken. Within ten minutes, a car raced past me within about a foot, and I saw the guy ahead of me a bit to the left in the lane. WHACK! The car's passenger mirror hit his drop bars and lifted him up. He was an amazing rider, as he recovered without falling. The car pulled over (hit & run isn't cool), but the rider waved them on -- he had a race to finish, I guess....

Sand in the road, hot blasts of wind from trucks screaming by, some narrow shoulders, and some gnarly hills made this a beast.

This was one of the most challenging rides I've dealt with because of the conditions. Pleased to have spent most of the ride in the aero-bars, which I wasn't sure if I could handle.

I would set up my indoor trainer in a steam room, and turn the thing up as high as it goes (which probably isn't as warm as Florida, but maybe it's close).

This time there were chairs, so I was able to shave some time off the transition, but I needed some extra water and cooling off, so I poured it on myself naked in the tent, which felt good, but my running gear was immediately soaked.

Age group transition ranking was 8th, so I guess I can change clothes faster than some other guys my age.

The run pretty much stunk. I couldn't get my legs for the first six miles, and the heat was stifling.

Some poor chap missed a clear turn, and at about mile 7 asked me where the turn-off was. I told him it was about 2 miles back, and he groaned, turned around and started trucking back. So, he had a 30 mile run, I guess. Ouch.

At about mile 14, some guys in a car swerved really close to me so that they could spit all over me. Just rinsed off at the next aid station. Welcome to Florida. Parts of this run were on a road with a tiny shoulder, and I can see where this could get a bit dangerous.

I had no idea what to do about nutrition and fluids. I either felt parched or sick, so I never quite figured out the right combination. I think that if I trained in a steam room it might help.

I left the finish chutes and went straight to the car for the 30 minute drive back to the official race hotel. I was so worried about the drive that I didn't want to stick around at the finish line.


The heat and humidity were brutal. I really need to figure out how to handle pacing and nutrition in these conditions if I'm going to race in the tropics again. Also, next time I'll bring some support folks. I managed this entire event by myself, with no friends or family, which was a great mental challenge, but it was exhausting. These things would be much more enjoyable when shared with loved ones.


The Great Floridian is a classic race for good reason. It's well-run and extremely enjoyable.

I'll certainly never forget this race in record high temperatures where I had my goggles kicked off, saw a guy get hit by a car on his bike, and was spit on during the run. While that doesn't sound like too much fun, the Great Floridian was executed in a way that was just superb, and the stories become numerous.

Overall, I can't thank the Race Director, his staff, and volunteers enough. They did an amazing job in horrible conditions. I just hope they'll return the iPod that I left in my warmup bag to me....