I started on the front row. It was a bit rough til the first buoy. Just a lot of traffic. Like last year it seemed a lot of guy were more to the outside than I was, but I had a good draft and someone on my feet. Caught previous wave before the halfway point on the outbound leg. Then at the first turn I got into a bit of a war with some guy as we were both trying to get onto the same feet. Just kept bumping each other. That went on till the 2nd buoy before slower traffic broke that up. I was mixed up with that guy a few other times during the inbound swim, too. I got a pretty good foot cramp at the 2nd inbound turn buoy. It worked its way out before the finish but I felt it on the bike and some on the run. The finishing stretch was full of people walking in from a long ways out. I swam right up to the shallow water and dolphin dived my way to the shore.

I think I swam pretty well. This course seems to be long or with unfavorable currents though for the past couple of years. I don't know if I've nailed down a good starting pace for a HIM yet.

Pretty smooth. I had my tri top tucked into my tri shorts during the swim and pulled them up and on before I hit the timing mat. From there it was a short run to my bike in the middle of a row. Helmet, glasses and race belt on. And off I went. The mount line was crowded with a bunch of folks swerving all about so I ran up a few yards and got on my bike to avoid that mess. Seems like that 90 degree turn out of transition creates a bottleneck where people just stack up.

Nothing much. Not the best rack location.

133/1671 OA and 24/149 in AG.

I got up to speed just fine. Kept it a couple gears easier for the first 4-5 miles to let my heart rate settle down. The first 20 miles were pretty uneventful. Felt pretty comfortable and had a good high cadence. Got settled into my nutrition which was 1x600 calorie bottle of Infinit with equal parts water taken at 5 mile intervals and a GU at mile 20 and 40. Had water in an aerobottle as needed (and refilled at 3 of the 4 aid stations. I dumped water on me at the 3rd and 4th aid stations to keep cool. At mile 20 a big pack came by, all drafting. I watched them get ahead of me on Smithville Rd, but kept them in sight. Worked my way through them over the course of Smithville by slingshotting my way through. Didn't see a single marshal on the entire course though. Being in a later wave meant there were plenty of people to pass. The ride back up into town was pretty uneventful, just focused on keeping the legs turning over, staying aero, hydrating, and pushing a good gear. I knew there was some wind on the way out of town but I don't think there was much to it relative to what I'm used to and what that area is capable of producing.

Not much. I think I paced this well. I'm becoming a stronger rider and want to continue on that trajectory.

Pretty uneventful. Rinny was giving an interview over the PA system so I was trying to focus on getting in and out relatively quickly without being seduced by her voice. Socks, shoes, hat on, grabbed Garmin and gel flask and off I was. Grabbed some ice water on the way out at the first aid station. Figure I'd get things going early.

38/149 in AG and 283/1671 OA.

Wear the garmin the whole time. Putting the thing on while running is a pain in the ass.

This run was a lot like last year for me except that early on I focused on the aid stations and keeping the fluids going in. My pace started off in the 7:20s but gradually drifted to around 8:15-20. Add in 20-30 seconds for aid station walking. I'd love to run one of these a) without getting overheated and b) with less attention to the aid stations, but I keep thinking that the alternative is a long walk back to the finish or a DNF. Just gotta keep the fluids going in and ice in the hat and tri shorts. I had water or gatorade at each aid station. Pissed on myself during the run twice so I was obviously hydrating ok. The run can be broken into 3 parts for me. Miles 0-5 were solid. 5-11 were slower but I was managing things just fine. 12 and 13 were a struggle to keep it together and where I had to really dig into the well.

The toughest part of the run was about Mile 11.5 just before you get back to the water. I had just passed by Shelly who was cheering and started feeling like crap. Saw a few stars as I made that turn and then I saw that aid station up ahead and thought: Just.Get.There. Took my time at that one for a couple of ice waters to the face and body and a good swig of gatorade. Definitely helped me get to the finish line in one piece. Quads twinged a few times in the last mile but didn't lock up.

Try to run a bit more in the heat. I did a bunch of runs in similarly hot conditions and had hoped to be fully acclimated by race day and I was close to it, but not quite comfortable running to my potential in those conditions quite yet. My next time doing one of these I'm going to practice taking in nutrition while moving faster through the aid stations. I should be running sub 1:40 on a course like this...stay tuned.

Sat in the finishing chute trading some war stories. Wandered over to the fire truck to get hosed down, then to a shade tree and then to eat some food. Finally back to the house where I cracked open a beer or 5.


Hot. I swam, biked, and ran faster than last year. Albeit not by a whole lot but an improvement across the board. It's a PR. I'll be back for more though.


These guys put on a great race. Everything is well planned out and runs smooth. Tons of awesome volunteers and a very professional race organization. Can't wait to do it all over again.