Lake Geneva Triathlon - Half Iron Distance - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Swim was at an easy pace, and I felt very relaxed the whole time. Got kicked a couple of times, but didn't have any major issues. I was actually enjoying myself swimming, so much so that I didn't bother to site often, which affected my overall time, as I did not swim straight. I think I'm physically incapable of swimming in a straight line.

Try and swim a little straighter, otherwise nothing, it was a nice, relaxed swim.

Ok, this is where things started to go a little awry for me. Got to my bike, pulled down the wetsuit top, pointed my left foot to pull the suit off my ankle when I was hit by a major calf cramp that caused me to drop to the ground and roll around a bit in pain. I was convinced I was done for the day, don't ever remember having a cramp as painful before, so I rolled around a little more. Then pain subsided a little and I decided I might as well try to ride, as that may help workout the cramp. It didn't, and it hurt the whole race.

Not get a cramp.

So I was riding along, still strecthing my calf, suffering a bit, when at about mile 20, I hit something in the road, swerved into the wet grass, skidded, and CRASHED into a tree and a thorn bush. I went down pretty hard, but luckily the ground was wet and soft. Front tire was punctured by the thorns, and I layed there for a few minutes, thinking I must have been hurt, but I wasn't, until I started to move and the thorns TORE me up. They felt as sharp as razors as I tried to pull the branches off me, my clothes, and my bike. Ouch. Pulled the bike over a little, saw that my tire was flat, and commenced to changing it, which took about 10 minutes or so. The thorns had punctured the sidewalls, and I spent a couple minutes making sure I had got them all out. Then I had trouble with the CO2 inflator, and had to use both my cartridges to get the tire inflated to a reasonable level. I'd never crashed before, or had to change a flat in a race, so I guess it was a good experience, but it really kind of sucked. Got back on the bike, finally back on the road, and was still picking thorns out of my shorts, shirt and legs. The worst cuts were on my hands, and now, two days later, are SO itchy.

The rest of the ride, I just tried survive, which was challenge enough for me on this day, and I was sort of feeling sorry for myself, and already thinking of how I would use the crash as an excuse for what was turning into a poor performance anyway.

The crash was caused by the fact that I was looking down while on the aerobars, playing with my gel bottle, and not watching the rode. So my only excuse was being an idiot.

Not crash. Watch the rode for obstacles. Get a new CO2 inflator that works. I've never spent so much time on the ground in a triathlon before, so try and spend less time there.

This was fine. Finally felt like racing again when I got into T2.

My calf was really hurting at this point, and the hills were a killer. I was mentally out of it again once I started up the first big hill, and spent the next two hours thinking of a way that I could still get a finishing time without actually running the rest of the way. I never figured anything out, and suffered through the rest of the run, with a disappointing time.

My boys were waiting at the finish line for me, and my youngest ran out to me, and I picked him up and carried him across the finish. It was a great moment in an otherwise unspectacular day. I hope the race pics turn out of that.

Run faster. Not check out mentally. Train hills more.

Strecthed a little, went to Gordies boat house to have a beer with a few friends.


Cramp, crash and poor mental attitude.


I have done this race in the past and this years was relatively well organized compared with previous. Although there is still not enough support on the bike course, especially when the printed and web materials say there will be gel on the course, and there was not.

Nice, VERY challenging course, moderately disorganized and undersupported, but better than previous years and improving.