I did my first sprint tri last weekend, which turned into duathlon due to rough water conditions. It was a shame because running is my weakest part. I noticed on the last 2 mile run my heart rate was pushing 180 meaning that I had to stop and walk every so often to bring it down. Does anyone have any tips on controling heart rates at the end of the race and finishing the run strong?
I wouldn't sweat your HR too much in a sprint. It was only a 2 mile run. How much of the race was left when you stopped to walk? I do not wear my HRM for sprints or Olympics because I don't want to freak out that it is too high.
As mentioned above you may have a higher working hr. I have yet to do a test but plan on doing one this fall and would guess mine will be fairly high threshold. I try to avoid saying not to worry with 'shorter' distances because that depends on experience levels. If it was on your last leg I would be even less concerned as you do no have to worry about another event following.
You may have also pushed it too hard on the bike (how high did your HR get during the ride?) I have found that, if I stay too high of zone during bike, it really impacts my ability to stay in HR zone down during run.