I never know the best way to enter the pool from the deck. There's the drop-straight-down-and-push-off-the-wall method. There's the dive (...which isn't allowed). There's the turn-around-and-ease-in (...as if). There's the sorta-jump-sorta-flop. And then there's my method... the train-wreck.

I lept forward off the deck and entered the water like a runaway diesel generating a humongous splash and a minor tsunami in the process. Having effectively intimidated the rest of the field I found my stroke and pressed on. I passed one racer on course and managed to stay ahead of the rest of the field.

All and all a good effort and I exited the water feeling fresh.

The transition is located in a grassy area about 200 yards up the hill and across the parking lot from the pool.

Off with the cap and goggles. On with the helmet and sunglasses. Flying mount (sorta) onto the bike.

Because racers start one at a time every 15 seconds and because duathletes started at the same time as we did there was no real way to tell where I was relative to the field. One thing remained the same, though - passing is good. I passed as many riders as I could and was within half a mile of the turn around when I crossed paths with the front runner and his motorcycle escort.

Before I reached the turnaround I counted 10 riders between me and the leader. I passed four of them on the home stretch and crossed my fingers that the best of the rest were duathletes. Turns out all but one of them was, and I was in second place OA on the clock.

I improved my average speed by 1.5 mph from last year (21.8 versus 20.3) so I felt pretty good about it.

I executed a rolling dismount more-or-less gracefully and quickly racked my bike. I tried to slip my shoes off without sitting down, but the grass was wet and without socks the dew made my feet stick. I finally gave up, sat down, and pulled them on.

Are shoe horns legal in the paddock? If so, I might try one at my next race to see if I can avoid sitting down.

Remember the field mouse that haunts me? Well, he passed me again as did numerous other runners, a snail, and a toddler just learning to walk. Ugh.

I kept a fast (for me) pace but fell short of my 7:30/mile goal by a considerable amount (7:47). Still, I held most of the field at bay and with a good swim and bike in my pocket I crossed the line in fourth OA.

Perhaps it's time for me to hire a run coach. The difference between my relative swim and bike paces and my run pace is ridiculous!

I had family visiting from South Carolina at the race so rather than stretch afterwards I played host hoping to make their first tri experience a good one. The following day my back seized up and I was in serious pain for about 72 hours until it decided to let go. I don't know if not stretching afterwards had anything to do with my back, but I won't be taking any chances with that in the future. Gotta stretch, Dummy!


This is a great, local race perfect for rookies and dedicated triathletes alike. The Charlottesville Tri Club does a great job of making it a family-friendly, fun event, and a good time is had by all year after year. If you've ever wanted to try a tri, this is the race for you! And if you're a vet in Central Virginia looking to test your mettle, there's plenty of serious triathletes, too.

The race benefits the Charlottesville Women's Initiative, which is another good reason to register.