This was only my second open water swim. My first was the day before the race. Fortunately there were pretty big waves on my practice swim which made me better prepared for the bigger waves on race day. I did have a short bout of OWS panic on Saturday, but by the time we left I knew I would be okay. I owe all the credit to my racing partner...although he probably won't want any association with a 14 minute swim!

One of the hardest parts of the swim was the first 100 yards...not because of my panic, but the panic of those around me. They were cluttering up the swim course making it difficult to navigate. After I got through that things were better. The waves were pretty big, but I never panicked and I finished the last 100 yards pretty strong.

I think it was my wife who was happiest to see me emerge from the lake!

More swim training....maybe some lessons...but mostly more OWS practice and practice in the wetsuit. It is probably the swim that prevents most from participating in triathlon. That was the case for me too. So getting this done...and actually passing people on the swim was a HUGE accomplishment.

Third fastest in my age group! I didn't feel like it was that great, but better than most I guess.

Not much...it went fine.

A very good ride for me. I just got clip in shoes installed about a week ago and they seemed to make a big difference. There was a lot of wind, but the road seemed pretty protected. I stayed in my drops for much of the ride and just stayed in the moment. I was shooting for just under an hour on the bike so I am ecstatic with the 56 minute finish.

I just got the bike a couple of months ago so more experience would have helped. But other than that I am very proud of my bike time. I am excited to see what I can do with more practice.

Middle of the pack on this one. I hurried, but didn't kill myself either. I got YANKS for my shoes to help speed things along.

Just move a little faster.

Most of my experience is as a runner. I am not a fast runner, but I've done plenty of running. I had some lower back pain during the run, but I worked through it. The first mile was tougher and slower than I would have liked, but the second half of the fun went a lot better. I enjoyed encouraging the other runner along the route. As I neared the end I got a little emotional because I knew I had done it...and done it pretty damn well!

I would probably take more advantage of the downhill portion of the course. I ran faster on the uphill.

Hugs and hand shakes for friends and family.


It would help if I were 20 pounds lighter an shad trained a little more, but I am not going to be too critical here.


This a great race and it welcomes first timers. There were lots of volunteers and things ran pretty smoothly.