Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I took an easy start and got into a good rhythm right from the start. That really is my key to a good race. I had a little soreness in my right shoulder/trap, but nothing too bad. I had really good breathing and felt very comfortable. I had difficulty determining how far I had gone or how long I was in the water, but the swim ended a lot faster than I had expected. Schmize said that the course was shorter than last year and I don't doubt that looking at my swim time. The great thing was that as I approached the final buoy I looked to my right and saw I was swimming right along Muench. We ended up coming out of the water together.

Not much. A little better sighting would have been good and I will have to remember that those waves do push you in. Overall, though, I was very happy with this portion.

Not a spectacular T1. I had a little trouble with my helmet strap. I kept moving, but did not try to go crazy.

Apply sunscreen! Look at T2.

Great bike ride! I was able to ride much faster than I had expected. I felt very comfortable and the first 40 seemed easy. I started to get a little sore in the saddle and anxious to be done as I approached 45. They passed out water, Heed and Hammer gels. I shot a couple hammer gels during the race, ate 1.25 Cliff bars and drank probably the equivalent of 1 Infinit. I also had quite a bit of Heed. Somewhere along the line my stomach got a little screwed up, which did not help leading into the run. The ride started out overcast, which was great. Temperatures were cool, which allowed for a better pace. The sun did come out at the end. I did well for the most part on passing. There were sometimes, though, where there were bottlenecks, and that slowed me a little.

I need to work more on my nutrition plan. It was not horrible, but it definitely was not perfect as I had some stomach problems leading into the run. I probably could have pushed a little harder on the bike, but not too much. I still need to get a better feel as to how hard I can push and then still get a good run in.

It was a pretty good transition. I stopped to grab a drink of Gatorade and probably chugged a little too much. I also tried to apply some sunscreen quickly. Next time I will make sure to take the extra couple seconds to apply better. I am fried and have a perfect red/white image on my body of my tri suit. You can see less redness on the front of my arms and then there is a nice clear deep red on the back.

See sunscreen comments above!

Ouch! That was the hardest thing I have ever done. The weather got hot and humid. Plus, my stomach was not feeling great. I wanted to stop to go to the bathroom, but the port-o-pottys all had lines. I finally made a stop at the last aid station before the turn. Although the turn was only about 3.25 out, it felt like it was 6 miles. After a quick pee break and some water I started to feel a little better. I switched to just water at the aid stations and I did have one salt tablet. I probably should have done more because I felt better after that, but then I was worried about adding too much new stuff to my system. I ended up setting my watch to alert me every .8 miles so I could take a short walk. It was a good mind trick for a little while. I finished the first loop at about 1:05. It was really hard to be so close to the finish line and then have to turn around and repeat the run again. The second lap got even harder and I had to walk more. I saw Muench a couple of times. He looked as miserable as I felt. My pace slowed significantly and I had to walk more. And even when I only had 2 or 3 miles left I had trouble willing myself to run. Finally I got past the last hill at the zoo. At that point I was not going to stop running. My pace quickened as I saw more people. I finally made it by the tent where Schmeiser was. Then the finish line was in sight. I picked up my pace even though my breathing became more difficult. I spotted Jack and he ran out and finished along side me.

Again, part of it I think comes down to a better nutrition plan. I know that the run is not my strong part, but I had been doing much better. Although I did not anticipate running as fast as my last 13 mile run, I did realistically expect to keep it below 9:30.

I went and found some shade and tried to catch my breath. I really struggled and ended up going to the medical tent for a while. I laid there with some ice. My BP was low, but it did finally raise a bit. After laying for 15-20 minutes I could finally take a normal breath. It felt very strange to only be able to take shallow breaths. After that I got some food and drink. After a little bit I walked out into the nice sub-60 degree water and stood to let my feet and knees soak.


1. The heat on the run.
2. I need a better nutrition plan.
3. More training on the run.


This was a great race. It seems like each race I do is better organized. There was great support, a good number of aid stations and good volunteers. The commmunity really came out to cheer as well, which really helped keep you moving. The start was delayed due to fog. When we finally started it was still foggy. I just wish we could have started that hour earlier. It would have made the run easier because some of it would have been before it got so hot. If I decid to do another HIM I will definitely consider this one again. During the run yesterday I swore I would never do this again. However, today I am already looking at ways I could have shaved off more time.