A short note about the Richmond Sprint Tri that was contested in Mechanicsville this morning.

It was a very straightforward race with no real surprises. The swim was 400 meters in an outdoor heated pool (not that we needed the heat today) with swimmers starting one at a time every 15 seconds - very civil. The bike was a shortish 12-mile out-and-back over relatively flat terrain. The run was a standard 5k through a neighborhood with a half mile jaunt through the woods and across creek beds at the end. The transition was in a grassy field about 300 yards from the swim. Here are my results:

Swim - 6:59 (out of pool 6/33 AG, 35/170 OA)
Ride - 33:08 (off of bike 3/33 AG, 14/170 OA)
Run - 25:44

Total time was 1:09:19, which was good enough for 7/33 in the 40-44 AG and 24/170 OA. All and all, a satisfying end to my fourth-ever race.

The best part about the day, though, was meeting fellow club-members Marc Hengartner and Jamie Mata. As it turns out, Jamie was seeded one ahead of me on the swim so he and I were racers 241 and 242, respectively. The race was on! We came out of the pool in a dead heat... likewise off the bike... what fun! ...and that was the last time I saw Jamie. He ran off into morning leaving me in his dust. He finished on the podium, but that's his story to tell so I'll let him tell it. Nice job, Jamie! Likewise Marc who also had a very strong race, but again that's his story to tell. Thanks to both for being gracious hosts and making this rookie feel welcome. I look forward to training with and competing against you both in the future. In the meantime, I've got some work to do!