Mass swim start for all of the short-course males. The swim was a little hectic at first but I was able to start near the front and avoid any potential chaos. Very cool start to be a part of. I enjoyed the cheers of the onlookers at the start. To start out, the water was very smooth, but got more choppy the further you swam out, likely because of the wind. This swim was very enjoyable. My breathing and heart rate were a little higher than I would've liked, but I really enjoyed it out there, a lot of fun. The swim was only 500 yards, but it seemed so much shorter than that as the time flew by. Towards the end I started to breath in a lot of exhaust from the boats and wave runners the lifeguards/volunteers were operating out there - not pleasant.

Before I new it my hand was touching sand and it was time to run to the shore. I probably could've swam a tad bit longer, or dolphin dived because it seemed like I was running through some quasi deep water when I started to book for the shore. I was the third man out of the water, in the first wave. Wow, I had no idea at the time I was doing so well.

Don't begin my run for the shore as early. Other than that, nothing, it was great.

I felt like I breezed through this transition at lightning speed, but almost everyone who finished ahead of me in the standings had a faster transition time. In hindsight there were probably a few seconds I could shave off in becoming more efficient with my gear. I've got to get faster, but that will come with more experience.

Nothing.

The great thing about being one of the first people out of the water in the first wave is that you know exactly where you are in the standings. Unfortunately, being a relatively new/average biker this leaves open the opportunity for many faster bikes to pass you. At first this was disheartening to see bikes go by you one by one and knowing that there wasn't going to be anyone slower ahead of me to pass, but I was determined to race my race and go the fastest I was able to go.

My main goals were to maintain a decent speed, keep a relatively high cadence, and not to destroy my legs. However, the wind, for the most part, was tough and it took a lot out of me. No matter the direction I was riding it seemed like I was riding into a headwind or a crosswind. I know this wasn't the case, but at one point I just had to laugh to myself about the conditions - gotta push on, everyone else is dealing with it. The bright side of it was that it made the heat seem like a non-factor as it cooled me off.

Towards of the end I started to get uncomfortable on the bike. My lower back started to ache and my left hand started to feel numb in certain areas, both things which have never happened to me before. I could also feel some very slight touches of cramping in my calves and hip flexors. These factors worried me for my run but they never materialized into anything, and that I was glad for. At the end I was glad to be off the bike. Very happy to average over 20 mph on the bike, first time ever!

Nothing, I just need more time in the saddle.

I attempted to slide my feet out of my shoes before the dismount area. I managed one shoe but I got discombobulated and couldn't manage to get my foot out of the other, ended up running bare foot with one foot and a shoe on the other - in my head I thought this was humorous. I completely ran past my transition area, before having to back track, but once the bike was racked things went smoothly.

Practice removing feet from the shoes more, pay better attention to where I am running instead of just charging into transition.

Ran out of transition and immediately began to notice the heat. I was able to catch up and pass some of the fellas that had went by me in the bike, including a few in my age group, which was good. I followed behind another guy and used him to pace me. If he wasn't there I may have gone faster, but considering how hot I was, going a little bit slower may have been a good thing. On the last mile I eased on passed him.

Overall, I mostly just wanted to get this run over with. The legs ached and I was just plain exhausted. But I didn't want any regrets after I finished so I gathered up some mental toughness and new that if I stayed strong I would be happier at the finish. What's 15 minutes more of this pain - I've got all the time in the world to rest after I finish. The best part of the run was seeing the other runners faces as we passed by each other on the semi-narrow trail - the smiles, the pain - I got a kick out of it for some reason, maybe it was the spirit of competition. For some reason I didn't care too much for this run course, mostly when you went through the trees. Lots of branches hanging in the trail, soft/powdery dirt, too winding - give me more straight stretches to run on. Overall, I wished my run split was faster, but I gave what ever I had left.

Nothing

Easy walk around the finish area. Since I was alone out at the race I just chatted it up with some other racers and asked them about their races. Good times. Stuck around for the awards and got 3rd place in the age group (4th technically, but the top guy placed in the overall). My prize - a bottle of wine! Nothing like alcohol as a reward for your hard work :).

During the awards for the sprint the top bikers from the KS 50 race began to come in. I got to see first hand what a true flying dismount looks like. Those guys looked awesome!


The heat and wind, but that's not in my control. Better rest during the week.


Great race. From my perspective the organizers did a great job, I didn't notice any issues with the short-course. An earlier start might have helped avoid the heat issues that developed; 8:00 for the first group to start (8:45ish for the last) is a pretty late time considering we're racing in the August heat. Thanks to all the volunteers.