Cleveland Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic

The water was warm and murky. Tasted fine, and you could see about as far as your hand. The waves were choppier than they looked and they had an effect. I was disappointed in my swim.

However, I did not wear a wetsuit (good call) and swam in tri shorts and a top for the first time (another good call).

Not really sure, other than swim faster!

Perhaps 100 yards from my assigned transition area to the mats out for the bike start. Not having to change into any clothes was a definite plus. I need to save more time, though. I'm going to start training without socks.

The guy next to me was stuck in his wetsuit and couldn't get it off. "Can you give it a pull?," he asked. And I did, and it was indeed caught on his ankle timing strap. Plus the guy had the biggest ankles in the world.

Would I help him again? Well, I would. But I swear I heard a clock ticking during this entire 15 seconds or so.

This was a great race for spectators, who you passed repeatedly throughout the course. Most folks congregated at the parkway, where you entered the course. You rode about 2 miles east, then looped back 4 miles west, then 2 miles east for lap 1. You do the math : is that 7x they saw you over 3 laps?

Constant wind. One gust almost blew me off my bike.

Coming out of a downhill, with a speed of 31mph, a race volunteer ushered me into the exit lane. The problem: I had 2 more laps to go. I came to a sudden dead stop, turned around, and pretty much muttered "crap crap crap crap" for the next 1/4 mile until I got my rhythm back.



1. Pay more attention at the race meeting to the course description.
2. More bike training.

I couldn't get my right shoe tied. Well, I did eventually, just not on the first attempt.

Try Yanks again. I hated them last time but maybe its worth another go.

I died on the run, but I didn't know it.

Again, it's my fault for not scoping out the course or asking questions at the race meeting. I had no idea how far the first loop went, and by the time I did figure it out, I was off pace enough that I could never get back to where I wanted to be. But it was still a good run and I'm pleased that my knee issues seem to be resolved. Amazing how 2 weeks of no running can ease the pain!

Determine the mile marks so I can monitor my pace immediately.

Little walking, little biking just to spin the wheels.


Once again, my ignorance of the course. If I'm going to race in new venues, I should do some reconnaissance.


Post-race activities at Voinovich Park, within 50 yards of the transition area. Lots of music. Great place to be on a sunny day.

The race footprint was compact, which allowed spectators to be fairly close to athletes the whole time. The distance from the swim start, to the bike race viewing area, to the finish line, was about 2 blocks.

Parking was limited as most of the public garages were closed on Sunday morning. However, on street parking was legal, and there were a number of empty lots nearby.

If I did the race again -- and I might -- I'd stay at the Holiday Inn, the Crowne Plaza, or the Marriot, which were all within 5 blocks of the race area instead of the Hilton Garden Inn, which was about a mile away. Sure, you'd have to get to the Hilton for race check-in and the meetings, but on race morning you'd be right where you need to be. And the area around the Hilton seemed to get sketchy as day turned into night.