The official water temp on race morning was 80.9 F making this a wetsuit optional race. Virtually all racers opted out in pursuit of glory myself included. The swim was contested in the James River adjacent to the original Jamestown settlement on a sandy beachhead that offered plenty of room for spectators to enjoy the whole sha-bang. Racers started in not-so-deep water - up to their thighs or waist depending - and headed upstream on the counterclockwise course.

I found my position on the left edge of the mass of 74 40+ AG hopefuls and took the plunge at the horn. I found my stroke pretty quickly and settled in for the duration. No sighting required - just follow the churn - but when I did finally take a peek I noticed that I was one of very few who were actually swimming. Most were high-stepping it through the shallow water making good time. Hmmm… I decided to do the same and quickly caught the front of the wave, which is where I found a fellow CTCer. As the water slowly rose above our waists we exchanged pleasantries and wished each other luck before eventually diving forward to finish the last 1200 meters or so as nature intended - one arm in front of the other.

The water was more-or-less smooth, the field was pretty well spaced out, and after rounding two buoys I enjoyed the current for the better part of the last leg. The only complication came toward the end when we were swimming directly into the rising sun. Totally blind - couldn’t see a thing much less the finish line. I pinned my hopes on the group of three of four splashing in front of me, but it turns out they were as lost as me. Who knew? Not I. I corrected several degrees to the left and eventually found my mark. Aside from that it was a good leg - comfortable, relatively quick, and (hopefully) no Giardia!

Stand up and run from the beginning instead of trying to swim in the shallows.

The swim-to-bike transition was located across the beach through a field and halfway to Grandmother’s house. No joke! It was every bit of half a mile from the swim - so far, in fact, that they had an aid station halfway between the two! I’m a slow runner to begin with and even more so high-stepping in bare feet across a prairie. That sucking sound I heard was the field rapidly overtaking me.

Off with the cap and goggles, on with the helmet and glasses, flying mount (sorta) and onto the bike.

Remember to bring my passport in order to expedite the required border crossing ; )

As I said in my pre-race scouting report, it’s a fast track - smooth surface, no major inclines, nothing technical, and plenty of shade and shelter from the wind. I overtook several riders from the first wave and was feeling pretty good about myself until I got chicked… twice!

Getting chicked doesn’t phase me - it’s a common occurrence on the run and this race I got passed on the run by no less than two snakes, a field mouse, and a soccer mom pushing a double jog stroller - but I take a certain amount of pride in my ride. Pride is no substitute for speed, though, and pass me they did. Gone! Never saw them again. Alas.

Otherwise it was uneventful - fast and steady - except for when I almost dumped it turning left off Jolly Pond Road on the home stretch. Both tires objected to my lean, but I righted the ship before they totally slid out from under me. Whew! All and all it was a good ride and I bettered my hoped-for average speed of 22.5 mph by a fair amount.

Rolling dismount into T2, off with the helmet, on the with shoes, onto the trail.

Did I mention that I hate running? Well, I do. Did I mention the field mouse that passed me? In fairness to me, it was being chased by the two snakes so it had some incentive. I might have beat him in a fair race. Maybe.

Anyhoo, time stood still as I plodded along through the woods (which was pleasant) and parking lots (which was not). I think I can. I think I can! As I neared the end of my first loop I was overtaken by two guys having a conversation as they casually peeled off toward the finish line. I tried to trip them - I think that's allowed - but they nimbly avoided my feeble attempt. Bastards! Four and a half hours later (or so it seemed) I finished my second lap and headed for the finish line, too. I was miserable, but slightly ahead of pace so can’t complain.

Got a 20-minute massage. Awesome!


I met my all my segment goals for the race which meant I bettered my overall goal of sub-2:30:00, too - 2:28:42. That was good enough for second in my AG, and the REV3 tri bling that I won would've made Flavo Flav himself proud!

The overall winner finished in just under two hours - 1:58:04. He was showered, dressed, and on his second cup of Joe when he met me at the finish line 30 minutes later. I hate that guy!

REV3 puts on a good race. I rated this particular event a 4 because it wasn't quite as good as REV3 Knoxville for two reasons:

1. REV3 Knoxville finished in a mown field at the Worlds Fair Park, which was very nice. REV3 Williamsburg finished in the parking lot of a sports complex, which was anything but nice. No shade, plenty of heat island effect, and just plain hot! No cool grass under our bare feet afterwards like in Knoxville : (

2. REV3 Williamsburg included a 20-minute bus ride between T2 and T1 the morning of the race because the two spots were separated by a distance of 8 miles. To their credit, REV3 staff and volunteers had busses running like clockwork, provided bags to separate gear, and even transported gear from T1 to T2 during the race so that it was waiting for the athletes upon completion. Could not have run more smoothly... unless the transitions had been in the same place, which would've been preferable and a lot easier.

Kudos to REV3 on another successful race. Well done. Well done!