We started from inside a dock area because the tide was still pretty strong. I was near the back but still managed to take a pretty swift kick in the face in the first 15 seconds. I attempted to get my goggles back in place but could not get the left eye to seal, so I swam with it mostly filled with water the entire time. It was tough to sight with one eye, but I was able to breath bi-laterally and as long as I saw swimmers on both sides I was pretty comfortable. The tide created a very nice push and I tried to just relax and take it reasonably easy. I realized about half way through that the lube on the back of my neck was not doing the job and I was getting burned pretty bad. Was able to spot the exit and get up the ladder pretty comfortable.

Not get kicked in the face, better lube on the neck

Strippers had a little problem getting my wet suit off and then there was a very long run from swim exit to T1. I had quite a bit of trouble getting my long sleeve UA shirt on.

Roll sleeves on long sleeve shirt, maybe stash some shoes/flops for the long run

I was able to mount the bike ok and took it easy getting going with lots of turns and some speed bumps. Riding over the grates on the bridge was interesting. Once I got off the island, I was able to settle in to aero and stay pretty steady. There were a few headwinds and tailwinds, but generally the wind was not bad. The course is mostly flat, but since I do most of my rides on the trainer, I am used to continuous pedaling. I was able to keep a pretty steady pace for the entire ride. On the turn back onto 421, I was grabbing a drink of water and it slipped up on me. I almost missed the turn but was able to correct without major trouble. I took 4 gus and a bottle each of gatorade & water.

Not much, I have been riding almost exclusively on the trainer so it was difficult to know how that was going to translate to actual riding. I did not want to blow up on the run, so I maybe could have gone a little harder.

Decent transition, took time to change socks.

Wear same socks for bike and run

I wanted to avoid blowing up so I planned to run about 8:15 miles while walking each of the aid stations, hopefully averaging 8:30/mile. I started a little fast but was feeling pretty good. I settled in a little less than 8 minute miles, and skipped every other aid station. I continued to feel good and picked it up for the last few miles to the finish. I had 1 gu coming out of transition and then a little coke and water every other mile, with no stomach issues (yay!)

Run in shoes after changing laces to get them loosened up. They were way too tight for the first few miles.

6:17 to 5:12 in 5 months!!!!!!!

I came across the line and had purposely not looked at my watch tracking overall time, just the run split. I knew I had crushed my stretch goal of 5:40 but had not done the math to see how much. I ended up being an hour+ faster than Raleigh 5 months earlier. The course was much faster, but I was also in much better shape, especially on the bike. I have been doing the mid-volume half plan on Trainerroad for the last 2 months and it definitely helped.


I felt like it was pretty close to a perfect race to end my first season of triathlon. The weather was great, the course was a perfect fit for my skill set. It was a great reward for all the early mornings and time spent training.


Great race, considering doing the full for my first iron distance next year.