Swim was pretty fun, I found myself alone for most of the swim. The lines I travelled were mostly away from other swimmers not by choice. The water temp was perfect after the cold wait at the start line. I was especially nervous being from Australia and really feeling the cold even in the south because all I had was my sleeveless wetsuit.
I had done a total of 7 hours swim training since may last race in October 2008 so I was figuring a 1:20 with strong current. So when I got out of the water at 50:30 and ran to the mat for a 52min swim I was very happy with my choice of slacking on the swim training.


I would have got new goggles. Yes folks my goggles filled with water frequently and I had to stop 5 times during the swim. At one point I even took them off, re-strapped them for a tighter fit and put them back on while floating down the stream.

Way too many penises than I ever wanted to see…..

Very flat and fast course, yeah there were some small hills and some wind but overall I had a great ride and enjoyed myself the whole time. If you were on the course and passed me or I passed you, I said “good job or keep it up” to every person I could on the course. I hit my nutrition perfectly and maintained control the whole time. At the turn into the headwind I kept my 140HR and at some times my speed was 15mph (down from an average of 23 to mile 60) but it didn’t bother me one bit and I actually enjoyed seeing others try to push through it only to suffer more. I have read some other reports saying there were drafters out there. I did not see one person “blatantly” draft one the whole ride.

I would like to finish my nutrition by mile 95 – 100 so I can bomb more water by mile 105 then back off before the run. During this ride I hit my fuel perfectly with zero stomach issues but finished it at mile 110 and had very little time to digest before the run.

I took plenty of time to clean my foot and patch it up before the run. For those of you who did not know I cut my left foot pretty bad the week before the race. I bruised and gouged out a piece of skin the size of a quarter on the arch of my left foot. The 7 days before the race I was a limping mess and didn’t train the while time.

I had a great time on the run and totally enjoyed the whole experience. Every support person on the run was committed to being present for each and every runner which was AMAZING!!! During the run I stayed in control and never really walked until the 2nd loop during the aid stations and the hills. I never felt any pressure from within to perform at any higher rate and while I was running my HR never went over 145 which for me is complete control considering my “red Zone” on the run is 160 and I push out tempos at 170 -185HR.

I think now I know it is only pain management I will put forth a greater effort in maintaining a consistent pace. I feel the walking was a major part of my pain management plan which can be controlled with a little HTFU.

Drank about 15 beers and passed out. I woke up naked on the floor in the Hiltons elevator, with my finishers medal around my "old fella". If anyone found a pair of jeans and a B2B sweater can you shoot me a PM.


The race was a really well run event. At first I was a little worried about the duel transitions and the newness of the race but they had it all squared away. If you are considering this as your first full distance event you will not find a better place to start. I think they said they had a 1:1 ratio of volunteers to participants and every aid station was on the ball. At the bike special needs I didn’t even ask for my bag and they ran it over to me before I got off the bike to stretch a little.
The swim is easy, the bike is fast, and the run is very well supported. During the run the spectators are on the riverfront so you see them for 2 miles four times throughout the run. Yeah 1 mile of the run was not lit well but I am sure they will make it better next year and if you are worried about it finish before the sun goes down or bring your own light.
One of the best things: After the race I went to get my bike and ALL of my gear was sitting there waiting for me. The volunteers had found all of my bags and placed them neatly with my bike. This was huge and makes for a F-ing fantastic end to a good day in Wilmington NC.
Folks this race is only going to get better and better I bet in the next year or 2 it will be hard to get into because of how well it is organized and easy to race.