Nutmeg State Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Mens wave started first had a good swim I started second row back got whacked around a bit but nothing major. Sighting was really good and I caught some series draft out to the turn around point. Looked at my polar to see I was at the turn around point at just under 16 minutes and my heart rate was too high. Purposely slowed it down on the way in and just concentrated on three stroke breathing sighting every 5 cycles with long arm stretch and a nice body roll.

Maybe I shouldn't have dialled it back on the swim. But I knew the first 5 miles of the bike were up hill with a gut buster at mile three and I knew I wouldn't have time to get my heart rate down. 6 minutes faster than I thought I would be perhaps swim a little short..But in saying that my Olympic swim times are similar pace to this so maybe not...

High fived my wife, kids and coach at the entrance to the bike area.

This was just a disaster, got my timing chip caught on my wetsuit almost ripped my wetsuit. Decided to ride in a cycle shirt as I only had one water cage on my Tri Bike. So put the water bottle in the back pocket. I couldn't get the bike shirt on as I was wet and it got stuck wrestled with this for a minute or two.

Not be cheap and buy a water system for my aero bars. The guy's in my AG whom finished 6th and 7th were only 35 and 50 seconds ahead of me. If I hadn't of had jersey issue would have come 6th.

Executed my plan flawlessly on the bike: Nutrition was 750 calorie bottle of Spiz lasted right to the last 2 miles. Changed water bottles every 15 mile stop had a GU every 45 minutes and 2 Endurolyte tablets every hour.

This ride was insane 5,700 foot of climbing. I knew the race would come down to pacing. I raced it all in high Zone 2 83% of max every time I went above the zone I would switch down a gear. After every big climb I would spin and coast the down hills until my HR came down. At Mile 22 there was a false downhill 10 mile stretch, my plan was to pick up the pace here and pull up to early Zone 3. 85%-87% of LT. I was hammering it on the false down hill my computer was telling me I was averaging 31 miles an hour. On the flat I was averaging 24 - 26 miles an hour every time I caught a glance of my heart rate zone I was there or there abouts. I passed about 5 - 10 people on this part of the course. Probably all the people on road bikes that had passed me on the hills.

This led into Gear Mountain rd. This is a sraight up 3 mile climb back over the mouontain range. I averged 4.1 miles an hour up this hill. People were walking and most of us were transversing sideways as it was too steep to climb. At the top of this hill was the most amazing view...The next 20 miles were all brutal climbs and hair raising descends. I clocked 47.5 miles an hour according to my computer on one of the descends.

Peed on myself at mile 40 and the again at mile 47 what a truly awful experience but I wasn't stopping...

Rest of the bike went smoothly but I was getting tired. Popped two extra strength advil at mile 54 and then coasted into transition did a flying dismount and ran into transition feeling like I hadn't just ridden the hardest ride ever.







Nothing - So many people blew up on the run and the tail end of the bike for pushing too hard on the first 30 Miles. Yes the time looks slow and I normally bike this kind of distance in 2.50 - 3.00 hours but I was in good shape. I must have lost two or three minutes by having to fight to get my water out of my back shirt pocket and back in again every 15 minutes.

Went with my tri bike, this course I think may have been better on a road bike. But hey you don't drop a bundle on a new P2C and then don't ride it..

Changed out of bike shirt put on my team tri shirt loaded up advil, Gu's and Endurolytes and charged out of Transition on to my strong leg the run.

Not be cheap by a water system then I wouldn't have needed to change shirts. Seeing a pattern here?

Ok got on the course and felt great, stopped at first water stop and had water/gatorade and a GU and 2 Endurlytes. Then proceded to get my heart rate up to 85% of LT Late Zone 2 and stayed there for the next 4 miles just alternating aide stations with Gatorade & water every mile pace was between 8.30 - 8.45minute miles. At mile 4 I peed on myself and accidentaly let go a number two as well. This was aweful I was starting to have some stomach issues. Two weeks prior to the race I had a bad Gastro bug and couldn't eat for a week and dropped three pounds.

From mile 5 - 6 I was still running consistent 8.30's but my crotch was starting to get raw from carrying around a poo in my trou. I debated stopping at the half way point but checked my watch I had just run a 55 minute 6.6 mile split and was starting to think I could go under 6 hours. Legs felt great energy felt great. I pressed on dropped some more Endruolites and last of my advil and then continued the 85% Heart rate pace. I had by now stopped all Gatorade and GU as my stomach was telling me it didn't want it. By this stage I was just passing lot's of people.

I was starting to wonder when my legs would get tired I really felt like I was cruising by now it was about 83 degrees and hot and people were walking and suffering just seemed to be me running along
nice and easy. I hit mile 9 just clicking off my 8.30mins HRate not moving. I started doing the maths in my head if I could run the last 4 miles in 33 minutes I would come in under 6 hours and a half marathon time of 1.47. I clicked up by heart rate to high zone 3. Mile 10 and mile 11 were my fastest miles 8.20 and 8.15. I started to think at that point I was going to do do it. And then I just faded. Mile 12 I dropped to about 10 minute miles and the last mile was tough, collected my 4 and 3 year old and ran through the finish gate.


I knew at some point my bad taper was going to catch up on me. My stomach had been so bad for two weeks before the race and it happened on the run.

My longest run in training was 1 x 13 miles and two 10 miles. I think I would have benefitted from another 13 mile run. I just had nothing left in the last two miles of the run.

Overall very happy with my run on the back of such a tough course.

Ate Pizza, clapped in the rest of my team mates and drank about three bottles of Gatorade Endurance.


Up to Tuesday before the race I was going to pull out of the race due to the previous weeks constant vomitting and diarea due to Gastro bug I basically couldn't eat for a week and lost 3lbs. I think in hind-site the 3lbs of weight loss helped for the run and cycle. I raced at 183lbs meaning I have lost about 32lbs since Sep 1st 2006 this helped on the hills.


I think my inability to take on any food/gatorade from mile 5 on the run caught up with me on the last two miles of the run.

Overall I was very happy with my perfromance and this has given me a lot of confidence for IM Wisconsin next year. A lot more work is required on the bike. This is only my first season and I just don't have the miles under my belt.




The setting for this course is just fantastic, the lake is beautiful. The ride was very extreme. 12 people DNF'd out of a field of 180 that seems high to me.

Aide stations were plentiful and well stocked, volunteers were great. My only complaint was there was no finishing medal I got some poxy finisher towel which I used to clean out my tri shorts after teh race 8-)