Not a good swim at all for me. I don't know why I started out with the crowd. I only got kicked and grabbed until the big wave finally swam past me. First time I ever took a couple of breast strokes during a tri, but it calmed me down enough to finish the swim.

Seeing that this swim was 20 seconds slower compared to when I did Montclair last year, I clearly need some work on my technique.

Other than being pretty tired from the horrible and inefficient swim, T1 went pretty well.

I thought this was a pretty good course. I am glad I had my shoes already on before mounting the bike as the first minute or so of the bike up up a pretty steep hill.

Despite the large amount of people on the road, I didn't have any problems passing or getting passed. I liked the 180 degree turns, as it allowed you to see the people coming up behind you or gauge how far ahead was the next guy I needed to pass. I did take one turn a little too fast, as I almost crashed into an orange cone.

The descent back towards the transition area was nice, as it gave me a moment to stretch out my legs just before the run.

I need to improve my swim so I can get out of the water faster and ride with the front of the pack instead of trying to catch up to them.

The last 2 times I tried to ride with my feet on top of the shoes, I lost a shoe and went back to get them. This time it went off without a hitch.

The first half of each loop was pretty brutal. I was fortunate enough to follow the leader for the first mile, which motivated me to run a little faster from T2. The trail portion of the run was pretty tough as it was uneven and rocky in spots. I am glad I warmed up on the trail portion, so at least I was a little familiar with the path I wanted to take.

I did a quick cool down and then proceeded to pig out on the post-race foods and drinks.


I think the horrible swim put me in a bad spot and I was at a disadvantage the rest of the race. I was trying to make up time the entire time.


Would definitely do it again!