Burrito Union 10 Hour Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

We don't have actual splits for any segment, just the time our runner crossed the line. So this is an estimate based on my watch and what I remember.

I did the swim in our 2nd and 5th race (we did five total), and I think I did about 14 for the first and 16 for the second. I have NEVER swam this well as far as staying on course, kicking well, and minimum messing around once I got into the water. The water was very cold. They said 72, but it has been cool and rainy and think the surface temp was much cooler.

After finishing each swim we had to run up a long grassy path from the beach, across an ouchy gravelly path, and past the park building to reach our biker and tag off. Since we had a long rest (approx 2.5 hrs) afterwards, I gave it all I had. We each complained of foot soreness later on from the gravel :) Because of hour our rotation worked out, I didn't need to do anything until the next tri run, so I got cleaned up, dressed in running clothes, sat in the hottub, and ate.

For the first time ever in a race, I really think I did my best and really better than I expected here.

(Why is there no AWESOME choice for the "overall swim" rating?)

I biked for the 1st and 4th race. Again, no official splits but I remember something like 44 and 46 minutes from my bike computer. And those times were very hard fought for.

I rode my new QR Kilo and while that is fast, my body is not used to the different seat. I had some pain from miles 9-14 on the first time out but it was manageable. It started earlier on the 2nd time out and it was more unbearable to the point I couldn't pedal steadily. It's too bad because the wind was better on the second time and I think I could have made up a few minutes. That course is not fun.

Possibly rode the road bike for better gearing and comfort. Ideally I could have trained on some false flats to prepare for the mental challenge. It was windy too, being in the country, and I don't get that a lot on training rides either.

That said, I did a pretty good job and was the strongest biker on our team. Everyone struggled on this course.

After the bike segments my next duty was to swim and I had about a half hour to get ready. I sat in our little tent and put on my swimsuit. I wore real bike shorts on the bike and a swimsuit for swimming, which I enjoyed immensely. I didn't have too much trouble getting my wetsuit back on, which I was worried about.

I ran in our 3rd race, so I was coming from a very long break after my swim, so I was pretty refreshed. I mostly felt like Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs with only the sound of my footsteps and the rustling leaves. I ran into a runner occasionally as we shared the out-and-back and was obviously passed a few times from behind since I'm not a strong runner. The inclines (stairs mostly) were very tough and I walked a lot. But when I could run and it was fast and fun. The kids at the water station were a hoot and really buoyed my spirits. They were chatty though and I probably lost a minute there.

This run was tough and way out of my norm. I would definitely practice on a trail if I do this event again. My speed probably ranged from 7:30s to 15:30s as I navigated the terrain.

After my second swim I was waiting at the bike in for my teammate who we realized was at least 15 minutes behind schedule. We finally sent our support crew in the truck with an extra bike (mine) and her running shoes (she has different cleats) and went off to find her. Turns out she had a flat at mile 13 of 14 and while she had changed the flat, she couldn't get the tire back into the rear dropout. She finished on my bike which is too small for her and she had to walk up the last mother of a hill since she wasn't clipped in and couldn't pull or stand. So, that was the beginning of the end for us due to worries about time cutoffs.

We wanted to finish 6 races and could do that comfortable with our pace. We wanted to be able to start a 7th race by 5:15, which would ensure meeting the cutoffs. But we lost of lot of time and had to question our abilities. We sent of our runner and unfortunately she came back late with a twisted ankle. She said she couldn't bike or run again and since she just came from the run, swimming would be difficult with the wetsuit rigamorole (and it was too cold for her to go without). To add to that, a huge raincloud was rolling in and we didn't want to send anyone on the bike in that. No one wanted to do the bike again. So, we called it after the 5th event. We were well before the 10-hour mark but we did the best we could this time. We learned a lot and may come back for our revenge next year.


Mechanics, twisted ankles and mother nature. I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did! I exceeded my own expectations when I raced so I couldn't ask for more. Here are our times (race then clock):

1: 1:26:50 01:26:50
2: 1:39:25 03:06:15
3: 1:40:36 04:46:50
4: 1:35:20 06:22:10
5: 2:16:58 08:39:08


Awesome race experience and I thought the RD was excellent. He also raced, so that's pretty impressive as a testament to his organization, team, ,and general cool factor.