It was a good swim overall. I had to swim breast quite a bit, simply to get around people as the swim was CROWDED! I did feel a little beat as I exited the water, and wonder if this had anything to do with lack of sleep. I am also quite sure the course was a little long.

Just practice, practice and practice to get faster.

It was a GIANT transition area (2300+ athletes), and the exit was one lane, so we stood in line waiting to get out, and wasted valuable time doing that. Also super crowded when mounting, and I was unable to get a totally smooth start as usual. Even dropped one of my water bottles because of the craziness.

The events were unfortunately outside my control, so not a lot to do here.

The course was 58 miles long. I was beginning to slow down around 55.5, and then we kept going for another 1.5 miles. The final 1.5 miles were also on small roads, and impossible to go fast. We also got pummeled with rain, which at least was better than sun...

Same as the swim. Practice, practice, practice so I can get faster and stronger.

As I arrived into T2, my stuff was completely drenched from the rain. I had to pour out water from my shoes, and it made getting socks on a little hard. I decided not to run with my Fuel Belt as there would be plenty of hydration on the course itself.

Turn my shoes upside down so no rain can get inside. Simple, but logical.

This one was the killer for me. I felt great on my first loop, but as I was ending it the insane heat and humidity really got to me and slowed me down like crazy. I decided to change my strategy and walk every aid station and pour ice down my back while drinking water/gatorade. It worked and got me through the race, but slowed me down a lot. The problem was that the rain we got on the rain was substituted with sunshine, which literally made the run in the forest like running in an oven.

I did however refuse to quit even though my body really wanted to, and that was an awesome feeling :)

I really thought I had this part down. The run is my strong suit, but today that wasn't the case as I was 11 min's slower than what I predicted would be a slow run. I simply need to practice more, and next time just start the walks through aid stations from the first loop to preserve energy.

I had to hit the medical tent upon finishing. My core temparature was really high, and I had some crazy cramps in my quads. They wrapped me in ice cold blankets, and massaged my quads, while I drank two bottles of Gatorade. That really worked. Later on I stretched a a little, which was good. We also rode our bikes to the parking lot, which was 1.5 miles and wonderful.


The heat and humidity really killed my run. I just need to practice it and get stronger. After all this was my third Triathlon, and I only started doing them 6 months ago with no previous athletic experience. So I would say that experience and training also limited me quite drastically...


This was a race worthy of the Iron Man pedigree. It was super well organized, nothing missing, and given the size really was quite impressive. It's a race that I would love to do again for sure.