As I'm sure all the race reports for this race will mention, the lake was INSANE!!!

It really didn't look all that bad from the shore, But looks can be, and were, deceiving.

After rounding the first buoy, that's where the going got rough. Since I do all my OWS in Lake Michigan, i felt somewhat comfortable among the choppy waves, but from the look of the folks around me, I was in the minority. I remember thinking to myself, "if people aren't used to open bodies of water like this, they're in for a miserable time". I saw multiple people hanging off all the marker buoys, as well as the kayaks.
I felt really bad for some people I saw clinging to the first kayak as we rounded the buoy to head south. Nobody can dictate what Mother Nature is going to throw at you, and to have such a miserable start to a HIM, well, that just blows.
I wished them all well, telepathically, and was on my way.

The swim was rough, but fun. I enjoyed the challenge of the waves, but had a really hard time sighting. I would have to look up 3-4 times to see the next buoy because a wave would be blocking my sight.
The waves also screwed up my line, i found myself getting pushed toward the shore, and having to readjust my line constantly.

I was shocked when I finished the swim and saw that I'd beaten my previous HIM swim by 2 minutes. Must be all that practice.

I was happy it was over. Onto the bike.

Nothing. Great swim for me. I really enjoyed navigating the waves.

The run up the beach from swim-in to the entrance of T1 seemed to take forever.
I didn't want to run on the sand because I wanted to conserve my energy for my weakest leg, the bike.
I bypassed the strippers, got to my bike, changed my clothes, and ran to bike-out.
Once there, i put on my bike shoes (i can't put them on while they're clipped to my pedals). This took me longer than i'd hoped since I'd forgotten to unfasten the straps.

Unfasten the straps on my bike shoes.

Firstly, you literally start at the base of a hill. Not a long hill, but steep enough to cause you issues if you're having problems with your shoes or gear.

Once I got going, i felt great. Unlike most of my previous races, I had no mental map in my head of the bike course, so everything was a surprise to me.
The first half of the race went awesome. I felt good, i was moving fast, and overall enjoying being in a fairly decent crowd of cyclists.
Then came mile 30. From that point on, i just blew up. I think my average speed up to mile 30 was about 18.5mph.
I'm not sure if it was the sun and the heat. It felt a lot hotter than I'd expected it to be, plus there was ZERO shade for the vast majority of this course, and it just killed me.
Also, maybe i just went out too hard. My quads started barking, and my neck, back, and shoulders were starting to get stiff and unconfortable. The final 20 miles were arduous. I just wanted to be finished, so I could get comfortable again.
Overall, there weren't many notable hills. Nothing that got me out of my seat, but a few which did push my HR up significantly before cresting.

So far as hydration goes, i was growing concerned around mile 35-40 that I didn't have enough calories with me. I don't eat on the bike, but I like to drink about 500 calories/hr. I think the heat and sun caused me to drink too much, too soon.
I think the bike course could have used an extra aid station.

Fortunately, i finished without getting into dire straits, but it was close. I was feeling thirsty when i started the run, which is never a good sign.

The bike is my weakest leg, and the section of the race I dread the most.
I really need to focus on this discipline since I'm convinced this is where I can pick up the most time.

Very happy to be off the bike.
I walked myself over to my T2 spot. Racked the bike, and changed into my running shorts.
I thought about changing my socks, but decided to keep the ones i was wearing and change my shoes. In hindsight i wished I'd changed my socks. I had some sand inside my sock from earlier in the day. I didn't really notice it on the bike, but through the course of the run, it began to cause a little pain.

Change my socks.

The run course was very flat, with the exceptin of the 2 nasty hills you run up between mile 0-1 and again between 6.5-7.5. I walked both of these, both times.

I felt great on the run. There was a lot more shade than there had been on the bike, but it was still hot.
My plan was to run between aid stations, and walk the aid station to hydrate and take in calories. Also, i was trying to keep my body cool as best i could, so I was grabbing sponges whenever i could, and putting ice under my hat.

The run was fairly uneventful. My legs felt quite good considering how gassed I was coming off the bike. The heat and sun continued to take its toll on me.
I felt like I was overtaking a ton of people, but I never knew if they were on lap 1 or 2.

It was disappointing that the aid stations seemed to run out of coke on my 2nd lap. Plus, the drinks, on the whole, seemed very warm, which didn't help my in my attempt to stay cool.

When I reached the last downhill into the finish chute, I could sense the end.
I hoped i had enough left in my legs, and just gave it everything I had.
It felt great to have people cheering me on as I "sprinted" to the finish. Hearing my name get called out gave me chills, and I crossesd the line with a huge smile on my face. Couldn't have asked for anything more.

Nothing. It was hot and sunny, both of which are my kryptonite.

Grabbed a sandwish from the post-race tent, then walked down the beach, left my clothes in a pile (keeping my shorts on, obvs) and walked into the lake to cool off.
All while still wearing my finishers cap and medal.


Mostly, probably my lack of ability on the bike.
The sun and heat killed me. I never saw the official temp, but it seemed a bit higher than had been forecast.

Still, I felt good after finishing. No pain. So i'm very happy.


All-in-all, a great race. Very well organized, and the volunteers were awesome.

I really like the transition set-up and finish location. It made for a very stree-free event, logistically speaking, from my perspective.
Overall, I think Steelhead was a more interesting race, particularly the bike segment. I'll most likely be back since it's so close to Chicago.