Started on the far left and aimed for the far buoy. Seemed like a lot of people wanted to follow the individual buoys... which is a bad idea because the course doglegs to the left.

Wore the wrong tri top. Should have gone with either a top designed for swimming without a wetsuit or a speedsuit or not worn a top at all.

Spent a couple of seconds getting the junk off my feet after running across pavement to get to transition.

Learning how to do a flying start would save a bunch of time, but in retrospect, the time wasn't terrible

Probably could have gone harder on the course, but reminded myself not to overcook myself on the bike.

Drink more. The heat is deceptive when you're moving quickly.

Spent too much time getting shoes on and adjusting the tongues of the shoes.

Practice getting shoes on quickly and without much adjustment after getting them on.

Walked an aid station or two to get more fluids, which paid off. I was not aware of the stairs/hill and the congestion around those obstacles, and as such, was not prepared (mentally) to fight to get around people before/during those sections. Wearing a hat is great for the cold towels that were being handed out.

I missed the first cold towel and should have grabbed it to help with early cooling. I also should have tried to keep my rhythm better on the stairs to better transition from stair to flat as the start and stop didn't help. Also, starting the Garmin before getting to T2 and letting the satellites link up would have been good instead of trying to let it sync while running.

Wandering around aimlessly while waiting for buddy to finish. PF Chang's (race sponsor) chicken lettuce wraps, Double Stuf Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, banana, bagel, Powerade as post race food


Chafing from tri top, stairs and T2 shoe issues.


The race support regarding the was top notch. Cold towels, cold drinks and the like were well appreciated. The stairs and narrow trail sections are unfortunate as they present a clear danger and huge risk of injury. This is the primary reason, not the heat, that would deter me from doing this race again. I would have like to hear some pre-race announcements and corral organization at the start as there was a huge mob of people at the start dock, which made it difficult to know what was going on. Other than that, the race was well organized and enjoyable for a late July race.