I think this was as straight as I have ever gone in a triathlon. After the first 200 meters or so the field really thinned out and I had clean water the rest of the race. I felt pretty smooth in the water and never really went over the red-line.

Nothing. Good swim.

This may sound like bragging, but my transitions have been really good this year. I didn't do the flying bike mount or anything like that, which is probably good because there was a little bit of a log jam at the start of the bike race.

This was by far the toughest sprint distance bike course that I've ever done. There were lots and lots of hills with only a very few flat portions. I chased one guy for about 10 miles before I finally managed to pass him on one of the longer hills.

The day before the race I was wondering if I should put my 12-25 cassette on the bike, but I decided not to. I was regretting that decision at about mile 3 of this race. The 11-23 just wasn't getting the job done. Still, I'm happy with my overall placing on the bike.

Run a difference cassette.

Another speedy transition. I'm starting to think I may know what I'm doing here.

The run course was on a relatively smooth trail around the lake we swam in with an extra loop through one of the nearby neighborhoods. I felt great from the start of the run. My turnover was good and I managed to maintain a fairly even pace throughout. I did get passed by one guy, but he was too strong to chase.

I crossed the finish line knowing that this was the best race I could have delivered on this particular day. It's a good feeling.

I drank some water, stretched, and cheered in the other 7 athletes from the tricities that I know and train with. We all had a great time and will hopefully be back next year.


Nothing. This was a very good race for me.


Setup events always does a great job and this was no exception. The only thing I would change is to have something other than water available after the race.