Started at the back and had to pass a lot of swimmers. Found a good drafting partner after the 2nd buoy and completed the first lap in 16 min. On the second lap, it took a while but was able to join up with another group and get back in a good rhythm.

Start swim at the front and stay with the lead group.

I left my socks in my run shoes instead of my bike shoes so there was a moment there where I could have been more efficient. I lost a few seconds messing with my sunglasses. Wetsuit came off really fast (I love my De Soto two piece). I ran my bike with my shoes on which turned out was a good idea because there was a long portion with sharp rocks and dirt just before the mount line.

Put socks inside my bike shoes and leave the shoe straps open wide.
Use rubber bands to keep pedals parallel to the ground.
Leave sunglasses opened inside the helmet.

I knew from the weather forecast there was going to be a 15-20mph wind from the E. I studied the course map to determine wind direction on each segment. My strategy was to go hard in in the tail wind, keep a good pace in the crosswinds and hang on in the headwinds and maintain my RPM and HR.
There were stretches of road where I was going 24-30mph in the tailwind, 20-22mph in the crosswinds and 15-17mph in the headwind.

I decided to skip the second bottle exchange and I ran out of water with 5mi to go but it didn't seem to affect me that much. I've already drank about 50 oz up to that point. My nutrition was 16oz of concentrated Infinit (650 calories) + 1 Powergel (30 minutes before reaching T2) and about 5 salt sticks.

Nothing. My time was consistent with my level of training and the conditions on the course. I guess I need to train harder in order to go faster :)

Ran with bike. Shoes, helmet off... run shoes on (Yankz laces), visor and out...

Not much...

Had metatharsalgia about 10 days before the race so I stopped running and recovered about 80% before the race. Most likely was caused by the increase in run volume in the weeks before the race plus my Newton shoes were worn out pretty bad at this point.

I was expecting it to flare up again sometime during the run but to my surprise it wasn't an issue. I bought a pair of medium weight smartwool socks and they did an awesome job at keeping my feet cool and absorbing some of the impact.

I walked the aid stations to make sure I was getting everything. I used the Powerbar chews (1 every 10 minutes) I alternated between water and Cytomax between aid stations and had some orange slices.I popped about 5-6 salt sticks.

Last couple of miles I was running on willpower as my legs were shot.


Not much.

Water + Pizza!!!!


Nothing. Had a pretty good day, beyond my expectations.


It was my first half and the end of my first season as a triathlete. I chose this race over the branded 70.3 Miami because of the timing and the good reviews from past participants. Was a good decision.

Race organizers did a good job. Great volunteer team and awesome atmosphere. Will definitely come back next year. Maybe not for the 1/2 Iron as I'm probably going to do Ironman 70.3 Miami next year but for sure I'll sign up for the International.