The first leg was pretty rough - a lot of wave action and currents pushing you off course. I had a good idea of what to expect by watching the first wave of triathletes. After the first turn the wave action was not so much of an issue - however, the smaller buoys were hard to spot in the waves and at one point I found myself 25 ft or so to the right of one of them. A quick course correction and all was well. Once the second larger corner buoy was in sight - staying on course was much easier. After rounding the second buoy, I swam in (catching swells as I was able) until my fingers touched the bottom and then stood up and began the run up the beach. The sand was loose and there was a decent hill between the beach and the transition area - so running was difficult to some degree.

Nothing.

I lost a lot of time here... first, I was concerned with sand in my socks (this was my first beach swim triathlon). So, I probably spent more time than I needed to to ensure that the bulk of the sand on my feet was brushed off. Second, I tore my number off of the safety pins when putting on my tri-shirt (I had my race number pre-pinned to it). So, time was lost in pinning my number back on... ugggh!

Two things...
1) I'm investing in a race belt to solve the number issue.
2) Maybe add a small tub of water to my staging area that would get the majority of sand off my feet with a quick dunk.

The course was not very scenic and it seemed to get more crowded as the race progressed. The out and backs were nice because I got see see my friend several times during the race as we passed on each leg. The road was particularly rough at the top of the hill on the third leg and the wind took most of the enjoyment out of the downhill sections as it seemed to be a head-wind on those areas. I settled into a nice pace (better than I expected for the amount of training I allotted to the bike portion) and felt good for most of the course.

Definitely put in more training time on the bike. I spent a lot of time swim training (looking forward to SharkFest) and run training (as this was the discipline I was looking forward to the least) - as a result, bike training got grossly left behind. I also think I could of pushed a little harder overall - an average HR in the low to mid 150s should have been doable.

Average transition - nothing spectacular or particularly bad about it.... took off bike gear, put on running shoes, ate some gel, drank some fluid.

Do everything I did - just faster.

I'm not a runner... I was only hoping for 8:30 miles - so, I'm ecstatic on my sub 8:00 average performance! I put in a lot of effort (interval) training for the run and it paid off. The course was hillier than expected and I had to talk myself out of walking at the top of a few of them. I took water from aid stations 2,3, and 4 - skipping 1 and 5. The run (and race) finish was finalized with a lack-luster performance on the slip-n-slide (I just didn't have the energy left to do it justice).

Get more speed up for the slip-n-slide!

Just kept my legs moving while downing water and beer.


Lack of effort training for the bike portion.


A "must-do" triathlon for anybody that can swing it. The post-race party put on by Corona and the event organizer was crazy! Can you say FREE BEER? The host resort was very accommodating and nice, the people were great, and the the overall vibe was killer. The day itself was a "Perfect Storm" - fueled by the accomplishment of the race (my first Olympic distance), the attitude of my friends and fellow athletes, and the copious amounts of Corona - that set me up for a day (and night) that I will never forget... my own personal version of the movie "The Hangover". I'll be back next year!