Danskin Women's Triathlon - Seattle - TriathlonSprint

I had difficulty finding my space to swim. I wound up swimming mostly a sidestroke with trying to crawl periodically. I was hemmed in by a group of women doing the breastroke and I had difficulty getting around them. I got kicked in the shoulder and back a few times. I did manage to do a crawl for few strokes between some women, but this proved difficult for me to do most of the time. It was frustrating.

Start at back of group. I was totally thrown off by the sheer number of women rushing past me. Navigating between all the women was a struggle. I'm not sure of the etiquette on how to go through a group or swim around. Need to practice swimming hard first out and then backing off to a nice swim pace.

Great location for our bikes at end of rack near fence, though it was far from swim in and bike out; however, it was closer to bike in and run out. I took too much time during this transition. I was mostly waiting for my friend, and we weren't really rushing. Getting grass off feet and putting on shoes and socks took some time. Having bottled water was good, but had no clean place to step when feet were wet to dry them off before putting on socks.

Run/jog to transition area from swim and waste less time waiting around.

The course was more hilly than I expected. But otherwise no real difficulties here. The only problem I had was on the steep access road. I was prepared and geared down for it, but a couple of gals in front of me tried to pass someone slower and then couldn't make it, so I wound up having to walk up the hill with my bike. Very frustrating. Most riders were considerate, but there were a few faster riders passing on the left without shouting out first. Saw a few near misses because of that. Several slower riders did not stay to the right which also caused problems with passing safely.

Be more aggressive. I hung behind some folks too long before passing. I would also practice hills more. I was not as prepared for the hills as I'd like to be. But hey, I'm less than a year out from my last cancer treatment so I'm cutting myself some slack here! Also, I need better access to nourishment and water during ride and study the bike course better so I know what to expect.

Had to use port-o-potty after bike which took some time. This transition would have been faster since all we had to do was rack bike, take off helmet and put on race number.

Try not to need to use the bathroom! Or ask those that already finished in line if I could go ahead of them. Learn to jump off the moving bike and run better with the bike.

Run went smoothly and I ran at a nice steady pace. It seemed shorter than I expected. Slowed for the hill, but ran all the way. My tri suit was still damp, which helped keep me cool. My right foot started to cramp and my two middle toes fell asleep. Not sure if my shoe was too tight or if it was the slanted road.

Leave my water bottle at transition. Except for one time, I didn't use it. The water stations on the course were enough. I used my visor which shaded my face, but no sunscreen. I might want sunscreen next time, though I didn't burn.

Stopped for medal and pictures, then walked a little, but not as much as I would usually do. Walked to food tent, ate bagel, two orange halves, banana and some chips. Drank water. Stretched some at car.


Uncertainty. I didn't know what to expect during the swim so was in the wrong place to start. I was trying to conserve energy on the bike for the run. My foot cramping on the run was a bit limiting, but all in all, I went faster on each leg than I did during training. I'm happy.


This was my first triathlon and did it 10 months after my final radiation treatment for breast cancer. In general, it was a great experience. I beat every goal I had. The Expo & Packet pick up took much longer than I anticipated. Next time, I would wait until later to go (instead of first thing) so there are no lines. We got to Meydenbauer just at opening and the line was around the building. We waited almost an hour just to get in. On race day, I was glad that we got dropped off and picked up at park. Traffic was a nightmare and if we had to catch a shuttle and then go back to pick up our bikes, it would have taken all day. As it was, it took over an hour to get to the freeway. Carpooling is a great way to go!