Historic Badin Lake Tri tomorrow (6/20)

where is this?

I'm doing Badin tomorrow, my first tri and I'm nervous.  Has anyone done last year's Badin?  I'm concerned about the swim and of course the heat during the run.

I did it last year and I am in for this year too. The swim has changed a little. Last year we started in a roped off swimming area and actually about the 150m mark we had to swim under the rope where the swimming area was marked off. This year it looks like we go out then make a 90 degree right turn after only 50 yards or so. That turn is going to be a mess of people I am afraid.

The first mile of the bike going out of town is downhill. Use this time to catch your breath and get a drink. You will then make a right hand turn and head straight up a long steep hill. After that the bike isn't too bad just rolling hills. One more big hill but not as bad as that first one.

The run is basically flat which is nice.

I enjoyed it last year.

Sean

You can hold onto anything that is not motorized. So if you need to you could hold onto the side of a canoe until you felt ready to swim. After the right hand turn on the swim you will be swimming close to the shore so I don't think the water is too deep.

Relaxing is the key. Start off at a comfortable pace until you find your rhythm then everything should be fine.

I finished, but it was HOT. The swim had a bit of an awkward start (we had to swim out ~ 25 yards to a long buoy and wait a couple minutes for the start). Water temp wasn't as bad as I expected. The bike was TOUGH. The first hill (1 mile into the course forced many from their bikes). My pace uphill was ~ 6 mph followed by a 40+ mph downhill. There were several really tough hills (compared to other Setup Events races in NC). The run was relatively flat, but by that point it was HOT. I finished in 1:18:27 (26th overall). I think I missed a top three age group finish by < 2 minutes. There is always next year. It was a family affair with my younger brother and sister both competing (my sister's first tri).