I overcame.... My goggles flooded and when I gasped I swallowed at least a cup of water. The fuel in the water made me gag and cough. I wanted to quit. I even imagined myself watching the race with my family and being consoled. But I stuck with it moved to the outside not to block others and resorted to an awkward head up freestyle so that my googles would not continue to fill up with water. (Don't buy new goggles the day before the race).

I was ready to quit as swim was to be my strongest event. I was averaging 31 minutes per 1600 in the pool. I kept on and am proud of it.

Stick with equipment that is well tested. Switch wetsuits to a tri wetsuit that allows full shoulder rotation. Establish a warmup and take a short swim beforehand to get acclimated.

The time was excessive because I had to fill up my bottles during the transition and use the porto potty. I also dried my feet and put on socks for the bike to protect my sensitive feet.

Set up properly. Take a leak in the ocean. Lay out my stuff in a logic manner not stuck in my bag. Also, test all equipment before by doing a mock tri.

This was my undoing. My bike computer malfunctioned and I had no idea of cadence, speed or distance. i had a ton of energy left and though I was just halfway done (based on one cop) when someone said 3 miles and smile. I poured it on at that point but it really toasted my time. I also lost about 10 minutes helping two people fix their bikes.

Check the equipment and maybe get a redundant bike computer instead of relying on my polar. Train outdoors more (if I leave Moscow). i would still stop to help others. (is that legal???)

Again had to fill up my water bottles in transition. Also need the porto potty. Do I have a bladder problem???

See T1

I was barred from Running by the Doctor on Thursday and had a cortisone shot pending surgery next month. I ran the first mile anyway and managed to run the last 1.5 miles with no problem. I could have gone a lot harder in the end but the first mile was killing me in the ankle and the shins. It was tough walking by the guy having CPR it really was sad. I also hit every porto potty on the run. Maybe I am over hydrating how do you tell?

Run the whole thing.

Recounting the race to my proud family and wolfing down a hot dog. You guys ate all the hamburgers and philly steaks. Guess I gotta finish quicker for the goodies.


First time learing, equipment problems and broken ankle. Hope to fix both now. Still a personal best as my first race.


The support was excellent although there was only one water station on the bike by the time I got there.