My goggles started to fog up as soon as I put them on, even before the start. Could see enough at the beginning to follow some swimmers around me but after a while it was lights out so I removed them and was pleasantly surprised to see that I had already rounded the island and was almost at the finish.

Same speed at usual, around 2min/ 100 meters. No issues once out of the washing machine (other than the blindness) and about the same as last year


anti fog goggles/spray? goggleless from the start?

Not sure about the time as I forgot to push the button my watch when exiting the water but something like that. No issues, put my bike shoes on before leading my bike out of T1 because I didn’t want to fly mount as the start is on gravel.

I had planned to take it easy on the bike, just cruising along without rushing. But I happened to start the ride at the same time as S—a girl I often see at these local races who’s pretty similar to me in terms of overall speed. So I decided to try and keep up with her. At one point, I accidentally cut her off and had to ride a bit on the grass after looking back and losing my balance. That cost me some time, and I ended up trailing her, but I could still see her ahead and reached T2 only about 20 seconds behind.
45 seconds faster than last year

A good T2, no issues.
Caught up with S there and started the run on her heels

The run—my usual nemesis in most races—but this race is the worst. It starts with over a kilometer of what feels like a 99% incline. Might as well have brought crampons and mountaineering gear! Last year it got the better of me and I started to walk very early on (and once I start walking, there is always more walking breaks later) so this year, I took my time up the hill (7:30 for the first k, even slower than last year with some walking) and managed to increase the tempo to finish under 6min/k pace.
55 seconds faster than last year. Mission accomplished

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