The water was awesomely clear. The lake was a beach for recreational swimming that was being use for the race today.
There were a lot of men in the wave. All the men started in this wave and it did seem like they could have split the wave in half in some form but I was very glad to have been in the starting wave.
I started at the front of the wave with some of the "fasties" and I remember thinking "I am in the wrong place!" It was too late for me to re-position myself to where I thought I should start and decided to look for someone who I thought I could draft for as long as I could hold on. This worked well and was my first experience I have had with drafting in the water.
I also remember how badly I felt after the swim in Warsaw and decided to really focus on finding a rhythm. This was probably the best thing I could have done. I think the last swim was way to much effort and I felt gassed. This felt tiring but under control. Much better!
I was only able to hold on to the draft for the first 200 yards but then I lost it and went at my own pace the rest of the way. I had a partner right next to me for the rest of the swim leg however and I used him to help with navigation. He was slightly off my right side and toward the bank. I think we were using each other for sighting purposes.
This was the straightest line I think I have ever swam in a race!

Now that I have had a chance to think about how everything happened I will probably start the next wave start in similar fashion. Really I think I did pretty well and I am not sure I would change anything.

The time is an estimate based on a total swim and T1 time of 7:24. I used a :30 for T1 realizing that T1 usually take a little longer than T2. Again, this is a guesstimate from what I could expect. it was likely a longer time than :30
This wasn't one of my best transitions despite not having a wetsuit on. I had trouble getting my watch buckled and the getting my helmet buckled. As I stood there trying to finish off my helmet I started shaking my head because I couldn't get it done quickly.
I think my time was actually pretty decent but it didn't feel very good when I was jerking around with the 2 contraptions.
No times as of yet for this race.

I am not sure I did anything wrong. It just didn't seem like I could get stuff done easily.
Maybe slow down a little rather than feeling rushed.....BUT.......This IS a race!!

Before the race I wondered how the 49 miles in the hills in Fort Wayne/Huntington were going to affect this ride today and overall I think there was some lost ability from that fatigue. I didn't allow my miles from yesterday keep me from attacking the course however. I don't know how not to go 100% and today would be no different.
Much of the reason I was able to push hard on the ride was because I knew I was one of the top 10 out of the water and I could see almost all the riders out on the course in front of me. I tried to pick them off slowly as I could without losing control of my capabilities.
I passed 2 people, slowly, within the first 3-4 miles and I was passed only once during this time period. (This man eventually went on to win the overall race.) I passed a couple of more people and then I saw all of the other cyclists in front of me........The count was 2. I wasn't going to allow anyone else to pass me without throwing down some good effort.
I ended up getting passed by 4 people, none of which had been passed by me. Obviously these were much stronger cyclists than me. And they were all riding some nice rides and I am sure it must have been the bikes and not the riders! LOL
As I came into the last half mile I took my shoes off and hoped to finish the bike with the same vigor that I went into T2 at Warsaw but it was a lot less dramatic....There was no Dismount official to SCREAM at me to dismount.

Nothing. I was as close to the red line as I could have been for the whole bike. My avg. 159 with peaks at 164, well into the red zone.

A decent T2 but I forgot to hit my watch until I was standing at my bike. I already had my race belt on from adding it during T1 for the timing chip, so that saved a few seconds. I am not sure I will be getting any split times from this race. I'll have to wait and see.

Nothing! A good transition.

Oh how I hate this part!! The way the legs feel leaving the bike wasn't the bad part today, nor is it normally, but the HR after spinning and then moving to the run HURTS! My HR stayed steady of the bike for the first mile but I didn't feel like I could get any air....Normal!
I was a little confused at the beginning of the run because I couldn't see anyone to follow. There was someone to ask and if they hadn't been there I am not sure what I would have done. This was the first time I have experienced this during a race and, ironically enough, it was my first time this close to the front of the pack. HMM?? I like the lost feeling of knowing there aren't many people in front of me.
More pain to follow the right course direction though. I suffered the whole run! Every time I saw a hill coming I simply was wondering how I was going to make it up this one. And the next one would appear and I wondered if I could do another one and then I saw the largest of them. At this point I was at the peak of my suffering on the way out and knew I must be approaching the turn around....just in time, I saw the cone marking the turn around. I became invigorated knowing I was almost done and I had more downhills than uphills on the way back. I was so relieved!
The last .25 miles I had just a little bit left for the final push to the finish. I was able to muster just enough to pick up the pace some, but not much. I was pretty much spent.
At the finish all I could do was gasp for air and bend over hands on my knees breathing in as much air as I could take in.

Nothing! This is my best of the 3 disciplines and I seem to know how hard I can push this leg. My legs had carried me through enough and I don't think I could have run much father on them.

Walking through the transition area and gulping water


The almost 50 mile ride yesterday would have been the only limiter today. I am pretty certain I couldn't have placed any higher but I could have bettered my time with less fatigued legs.


There are a few things that I noticed that would make this race better.
1. Make sure there are enough bike racks for all the participants. There were as many as 30 bikes lying on the ground cluttering up bike out for me and some of the other early out swimmers. There were very small lanes between these bikes and the exit.
2. There was confusion about whether I had actually registered early because of the phoning in registration. It didn't seem to matter and I didn't have to pay again but this might create some problems in the future if not corrected.
3. The run should have been a little better marked. I didn't see anyone to help with the course after the first 150 yards. Normally I don't have to deal with this since I am not at the front of the race. But I was a little unsure about where I was going until I saw another runner about a half mile into the run. The trail was small and only a couple of places to turn off but if I had made a wrong turn I would have been rather upset.
4. I would like to have been able to see my splits and know that I will be able to find them at some point in the next few days. As of right now I don't have any confidence that I will see my T times or splits on the swim and bike.
All in all this was a great race on a challenging course. The rollers on the bike and the hills on the run made for some hard efforts. Just what you want in a race.
Results: http://www.ohioroadraces.net/web_documents/2011_kewpee_results.pdf