Overall a pretty easy swim with no disruptions or traffic. Had a nice break 4 swimmers in front of me, so the pool was mostly empty when #47 went off (I was #50, listed 1:45/100 as swim time). Caught the guy in front of me right at the end and climbed out of the pool just behind him. Never got tired or fatigued, and was never held up. Probably should have gone a little harder in the pool, but a decent effort. Time was extended ~20 seconds because of climbing out of the pool and then running up a long flight of stairs to the transition area where the timing mat was.

Go a little harder, especially pulling with the arms. Pretty happy with my swim speed for now, but will continue to work it. Was only 13 seconds slower than fastest clyde swim, but 2 minutes slower than fastest overall.

Not a bad transition for me. Was slowed down by putting on my shirt/sweatshirt and socks. Decided to not leave bike shoes on pedals since I was close to the bike in/out. Had a pretty smooth run out and clip-in on the bike.

Maybe skip the socks, but otherwise this was about as good as it could go. Will skip the shirt/sweatshirt on warmer days, but was needed this time. Need to practice getting mounted on bike faster.

Got going pretty smoothly and up onto Rodgers road without issue. Was able to make some good time on those early downhills and get comfortable in the saddle. Was slightly chilly at first but warmed up quickly. Was able to pass a few bikes on Rodgers road and made a good turn at the first intersection. Caught up to a few more bikers on Heritage and rode two climbs with the guy who started in front of me. Got out of the saddle at his suggestion and stuck with him up the hill until we spilled out onto hwy 98. Once on the downhill I was able to pick up some more speed. Got caught by the first guy on a small climb but was able to hold him off at the following flat. After that I was passed by 3 or 4 more bikes on the climbs and couldn't stay with them. Had to psyche myself up when I saw the big climb on 98. Ended up in first gear giving it all I had, but I couldn't stay with the guys in front of me. Definitely the steepest hill I have climbed yet and much steeper than my training rides. Felt a little burned once I got to the top and probably took a while to recover. Turned onto Averette which was mostly flat with some rollers. Once I recovered I made pretty good time back to Granite Falls. Ended up passing back one of the guys who passed me on the climb. I pulled out of my shoes as I got back to the transition area and jumped off the bike. Overall I felt comfortable on the bike and had no neck pain on the ride. Crotch got a little numb after the climb but that was the only discomfort on the ride.

Definitely need to train more on the bike. I feel like I'm getting faster, but I'm certainly not a speedy climber. Need to ride a lot more and get in better shape for climbing hills out of the saddle.

My best T2 yet! In my two prior tris I already had my running shoes on and was still slower. Shoes went on pretty easy and I pulled the hoodie off before I was off running. My transition area was pretty empty, so that made it easier for me.

Nothing. The only way I think I could get faster here is not having to pull off a sweatshirt.

Had a good T2 and grabbed a cup of water at the start of the run. Was passed early by two people who literally ran off and left me. Settled into a pretty comfortable pace after I grunted it out up the big, early climb. Felt like I wasn't running that fast even though I sometimes deceive myself with my speed off the bike. I decided to keep a comfortable pace until the first turnaround spot instead of pushing it too early. I ended up passing a handful of people on the way while pacing myself with another runner. The temp was perfect for running in a t-shirt and tri shorts. The first turn wasn't that clearly marked, but a volunteer called us over to the turn. On the way back I picked up the pace a little and passed the guy I was pacing. At the second turn I grabbed another cup of water, took a couple sips and poured the rest on my back. Once onto the gravel I felt I was about halfway and was feeling pretty good. I tried to run a little faster but was a little unsettled by the uneven gravel. I passed a lady coming into the turnaround and about lost it going downhill on the wet gravel. The climb up the gravel was kind of rough, but I slowed down a little to save some energy. Got passed by a guy just getting back onto the asphalt who was moving pretty good. I stayed with him for a while but couldn't hang through the last climb before the final drop into the finish. Pounded it out the best I could all the way to the line.

Maybe run a little harder a little earlier. I think I got comfortable instead of pushing it in the race. I need to run more in training, along with riding the bike.

Clipped off my timing chip and then walked around for a little bit. Went over to the transition area and found the rest of my gatorade before I packed up my gear and took it back to the truck. I put on some dry clothes and went down to grab some snacks from the food tent. We went it and sat by the pool to stay warm until the awards time came around. After the awards I went home, took a warm shower, and then took the misses to Flying Biscuit for a post race breakfast.


The bike!! I definitely need to ride more and more to get faster. I'm starting to feel comfortable on the bike, so now I'm looking for some speed. I felt like I went about as hard as I could on the bike and was disappointed with the speed there. I think I can get faster in the pool but just pushing harder, so I will spend some time with speed training. I need to keep increasing my run distances so the times will come down. I'm much further ahead than I was at the time last year, so I'm happy about that.


This was my third tri and my first Setup race. I though everyone was very friendly - both the other racers and the event staff. The Granite Falls facility is very nice, and the race course was tough and challenging. I liked how they were pumping out the good music in the transition area. I hope they host this race again next year.