RYKA Iron Girl Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

As I got into the water to line up for the start, I felt chip coming loose so I was treading water getting that tightened when the horn blew. It was a strange, chaotic start and there was lots of contact. Because of the fumbling with chip, I didn't get to the best position for the start and definitely was a bit disoriented. I finally got through some of the swimmers and made my way towards the buoys. I kept bumping into Elena (I hope I wasn't scratching you Elena) and then tucked in behind her to try and draft, but I was swimming too fast to draft from her and kept hitting her, so I pulled out from behind her and went even closer to the buoys and just started swimming, but by this point the swim was more than half over and I realized I should have had a different strategy from the get go. I stayed pretty close to the buoys and had open water there, but probably should have come back towards shore a little bit so I was more with the pack.

Get to the race on time so I'm not rushed and panicked through race start, and have time for a warm-up swim. Get into a better position before the horn blows so I don't have to fight as much for space. Find some feet that are faster than mine for drafting. Learn to swim faster - I'm still so slow!

This time included a long run uphill to the transition zone. I had no problems running it and found bike rack with ease. Got my gear on and took off for mount line. I skipped socks here which probably helped with my time, but would haunt me on the run. I fumbled getting clipped in at mount line a bit, but had a pretty efficient transition. When I first saw my transition split, I was a bit bummed out until I did some rankings and realized I was 7/81 in AG and 16/258 overall for the first transition, so it didn't go as poorly as I thought.

Try mounting bike with shoes already clipped and getting into shoes while riding.

It was a good ride. I felt pretty good on the bike. Of the two significant hills, I climbed the first with no problem, but definitely felt the quads on the second. There was one long, fast downhill that I managed pretty well but did tap my brakes a few times near the bottom, so I still need to work out my fear of the downhill speed. I was scolding myself for the slow pace I managed on the gradual incline (I think it was on Buford Dam), and was imagining the "really good riders" were just taking off on this section. I bounced around between my big and little ring on this section trying to get my legs to be more cooperative with what pace I thought I should be riding. I managed to pick up pace and felt a bit better after turning off what I think was Buford Dam. I was cruising into the park and feeling pretty good about my bike overall when the change in road surface and a small hill had me deciding to go back into the little ring before we hit the last hill into transition and I dropped my chain. I dismounted and got chain back on but had a big pack of riders pass me (the only time anyone passed me on the bike course). I was pretty upset with that and know I would have broken an hour on the ride if I hadn't screwed that gear change up. I decided to stand and just power up the final hill into the transition area and skidded to a stop and had problems getting left shoe unclipped as I was trying to dismount.

Continue to increase bike mileage and do more hill training.

Figure out how to properly shift from big to little ring so I stop wasting time having to dismount and get chain back on.

Another efficient transition. Nearly forgot to remove bike helmet again, but thankfully caught it before leaving transition. T2 rank was 1/81 in age group and 10/258 overall, so my transitions continue to help my time which is good.

Not much.

Race advertised this as 3.0 miles, but I think it might have been a bit short, while others are saying it was a 5K... so who knows what it really was. I exited transition at a fast clip and got to the bottom of the hill outside transition and realized my legs were tired. I didn't feel like I was keeping a great pace and was happy to see the first water stop. I grabbed a water and gave a quick hug and hello to the girls before continuing on. Somewhere right near the second water stop, I started to feel a bit better and was glad for that. I started shouting at the other racers coming towards me which always helps take my mind off what I'm actually doing. I could feel some blisters forming on the tops of my feet from where the lacing on my shoes was rubbing and was wondering if the decision to go sockless was smart. I had one woman pass me on the run, so I started trying to pick up the pace and hang with her, and I think I crossed the finishline just behind her.

This is a really good time for me for the run on a triathlon, but I still think I can go faster. I just didn't feel I was at my limit, so I need to figure out how to go "all out" on these sprint races and really see how fast I can get my run.

Crossed the finishline, grabbed a water, gatorade and medal, and then stood at the results table till they could print my results. It took like 2-3 minutes and they handed me a piece of paper with all my splits. That was so cool, and considering I didn't have a watch, it was great to see the splits. The swim was right where I expected it to be, but is no where near where I want it to be. At first glance I was concerned about my transition times until I was able to compare those with the rest of the results, to realize I did well on those. I was bummed when I saw the bike split of just over an hour and know I would have gone under an hour if I didn't lose the chain. I know I can still improve a bit more on the bike. The run time was decent, but because I finished and immediately said I could have/ should have run harder, I think I can still take some more time off that. After reviewing the times, I started back onto the course and made my way to water stop 1, cheering everyone on as I was going and then helping out a bit at the stop and just chatting and enjoying the day. I hopped the van back to the race finish and found Michellie Jones so I could get her autograph, and just stand around her in awe. I bugged her again after the awards, and got a pic with her and my girls. What a great way to finish a race!


Lack of swim speed. Being too tentative on swim, bike and run. I need to push my limits on all three events if I'm going to see my times drop and get a bit closer to the awards at the larger races and ensure I podium at the smaller ones.


This was a great race. GA Multisports, RYKA, and IronGirl really did a fantastic job with this race. The volunteers (at least half of them were from North Atlanta Multisport Club) were awesome! The course is not super easy and definitely not super hard, so Lake Lanier is a good venue for a race. The after race finish area at this race was the best I have seen so far. I didn't get to enjoy the food spread they had because I went back to water stop one until that closed down, but it looked like they had some decent food. The tables with the tablecloths and flowers were a great touch, and it looks like they were giving out some neat raffle prizes when I made it back to the area. If the race returns next year, I will definitely put it on my race schedule.