The first lap, you're pretty much stuck with what you are given. It's hard to keep any kind of line, and are dictated by the masses. I started in the middle about 1/3 of the way back from the start line. The second lap finally opened up a little (compare it to a normal wave start at a tri), but was still rough in spots where people weren't swimming straight. Caught a good draft on the way out on the second lap, but then he all of a sudden stopped. Noticed on the second loop that the buoys going back in weren't completely in line with the finish chute for the swim. I just tried to keep myself in line with that instead of the line underwater or the buoys.

Seed myself faster. Other than that I have no complaints with the mass chaos of this swim.

Ran into Jeff (tripadigin) in T1. Felt kind of like a dummy afterwards, as here I was introducing myself to him when we're trying to be in and out of the tent. My T1 was average considering the amount of people in the tent and just trying to get through the people to the other side of the tent. I did have to get my own bike, and it looked like a lot of the volunteers weren't ready for how crazy this would be, as there were quite a few just standing around looking lost even though our numbers were getting called out. I just ran and grabbed my bike as it would be faster. There was a good 45 second to minute wait to actually get out of T1 and onto the bike. There was a pile of people trying to get out all at once.

Not pack things into my shoes. I though it would be easier and make it more streamlined so I wouldn't forget to do something before heading out. Instead everything was stuck in the shoes.

I'm not a super climber, but brought on the challenge of this course anyways. At one point I had a guy say to me that he gives me props for being a bigger guy doing the LP course for an Ironman. Overall though I think I rode the course very smart. I had a lot of people passing me on the first loop, and kept myself in control. None of the climbs concerned me too much on that loop, as I know it'd be a lot tougher on loop 2.

I was able to avoid 2 bike crashes on the first loop in spots I was surprised to see them. One was just after the bridge before the turn onto River Rd, the second was coming back from the turn-around from Ausable Forks. The second lap seemed to be going quite well. I actually was passing quite a few people on the climb out of town, and just continued to spin it as much as I could. The descent wasn't as nice this time around, as there were gusts popping up and an almost head wind making it tougher to take advantage of free speed. For a bigger guy, this is when I get the average MPH back up ;). The 9N and Ausable Forks stretch were a little tougher this time as well, as there seemed to be just enough of a head wind to slow me down a little bit. I wasn't going to push it though, as I knew I had a lot of climbing left.

Nutrition and hydration seemed to be spot on, as I stopped a couple of times to pee, and get more sunblock put on my head and shoulders. Somehow I still got some cool air vent hole light sun-burn on my shaved head. I guess that's what happens when you start sweating pretty good and you splash water on your head when biking. Swapping out bottles and nutrition went just about flawless at the aid stations.

Enjoy the scenery even more than I did.

It was nice not having to rack my own bike. But after I finally got off the bike, my back started to cramp really bad. It's tough to really loosen it up on this course due to the last big hills on the course near the end. I ended up spending more time in the tent than I had anticipated due to having a hard time standing up straight.

I did do a quick full gear change though. I got some more sunscreen put on me, went to the bathroom quick and grabbed some water and was finally on my way out to the run.

Try to stretch out more before going into transition.

I always have a tough time keeping cool, even when it's cooler out. I decided to wear my fuel belt just in case I needed some extra water to drink or splash myself with in between aid stations. I'm glad I did this, because it at least kept me from worrying about it.

Overall the run is my weakest part of a tri, so I had a strategy set up for when to run and when I would take a quick walk break (besides the aid stations). I ended up having to walk about the first mile because of the extreme cramping in my upper back, but once that was sorted out, I was doing well with my strategy.

I knew it wasn't going to be super fast, but knew if I stayed positive, I could come away from the overall race with a positive attitude. I had a nutrition plan all figured out, but had to change it up a little at the first couple of aid stations because they didn't have any gels when I came through (REALLY?). So I substituted with whatever else I could scrap up that would come close to the same amount of calories.

I was back on track with the original plan after that though. Got through the first loop and kept my feet dry using a wet sponge strategy to keep me cool. It was exciting to be back into town, but the people telling me I was almost there because they thought I was finishing was almost comedic. I'm glad I've heard people say that in almost all of the other tri's I've done before when you're not even close to finishing.

The second loop, even though I didn't run as much, actually mostly felt better than the first loop. I was still having a tough time keeping myself cool, but the sponges really helped. I was trying to stick to my run / walk strategy as best as possible until the turnaround.

Once I hit the turnaround, I started to change up the aid station routine a little by adding in some broth and ice/coke. I was having some cramping going on in my left calf, and didn't want to have to hobble around.

Coming back into town was great, even though you have to get up the hills to get there. As I was running down Mirror Lake Drive, I heard a guy tell the woman in front of me, "You're almost there mom." So I ventured a guess that it might be Chris (ckunst).

I guessed right an chatted with her for a little bit, and told her how awesome of a job she did, and that we were headin' on in. She took off ahead of me. Got a high-five "man hand shake" from Matt Long, and brought it in from there.

Bring a couple of gels with me out of transition for "just in case" purposes.

I actually felt pretty good directly after the race. Grabbed some pizza and a half of a sub and trekked it back to the car. I had an awesome Iron-Sherpa (my wife) get my bike and gear bags for me.


Some severe back cramping in T2 and starting the run. Weight (230 lbs).


There is nothing like the excitement of an Ironman race. They really do try to put on a good show. Comparing this years race to the last two years I volunteered/spectated. It just felt like it was lacking in some areas.

They didn't have the signs people could make for the motivational mile, which always seems to be a staple of the one section on River Rd. That and they moved where the Motivational Mile was setup.