The water was warm and not wtsuit legal which did not surprise anyone. I swam well and came out of the water 9th. The race semed long and it was by 400 meters. There was a shortage of water safety personnel so the course was reset to two loops from the original one loop. One buoy got loose and was reset incorrectly. The fastest swimmer had a 2:13 per 100 pace and the race directors aplogoixed for the oversight Overall I benefitted from the extra practice.

I need to practice more OWS. I pull to the right and need to improve my sighting. I tried to sight every other breath but obviously did not sight very well.

I took my time and thought about using an extra sock as a pad for the lost arm rest pad. I took a gel and drank some water.

Make sure I don't lose an elbow pad. I can cut some time with more experience and increased comfort level

The bike was difficult. The course was very hilly. I drove the course the night before and was concerned. Several racers commented the course was tough as we set up our transition areas. Overall I rode better than I expected and averaged 16.2 MPH. That was slow compared to others and i was was passed by everyone. I went from 9th to 33rd overall. My heart rate stayed too high but given the hills it was tough to lower. There were long downhills which helped and I did hit speeds of 27 to 29 MPH. That is fast for me and makes you think you dont want to hit any cracks. My bike computer was off and the MPH went to 0.0 frequently. I hit the 20 mile turn around at 15.2 miles on my bike computer. The second half of the course was the faster of the two halves. My watch also quit at the bike tirnaround so I lost HRM and GPS. I tried everything to get it to work during the remainder of the race but never got it to work properly. I did get in the aero position as much as possible given the loss of the elbow pad. It was uncomfortable in the aero position but not unbearable. I did ride with a camel back to help hydrate.

I have taken the computer back twice to have it fixed. I need to get it replaced. It's a new bike computer.

I had another gell and water and packed the other gels to take on the course. I was slow to ensure I did not foget anything or start a run with my helmet on my head. I was one of the few in the transition area due to a slow ride.

Just need to speed up which should come with more races

The heat arrived with the run. My wife said we hit the 100 heat index when I was on the second loop. I was very slow on the bike so the transition area was almost empty. We had about 225 total racers with the 50 mile event and olympic event. I used my watch for total time to estimate my pace. I ran very comfortably and stayed within myself until the last loop of the three loops. Many people were walking the course I and was able to move up the rankings quickly. There were two hills and one was tough. Most of the runners walked the larger hill. One runner passed me and I could hear the squishing in his shoes as he ran. My shoes started squishing on my second lap. I have never had this happen to me. I used the towels they ofered at the water stops and ran with one towel under my hat. I soaked my hat and towel at the two water stops on the course. On my second loop I decided there were 6 people I would try and catch on the last loop. the 50 mile racers had the first 50 numbers making identification of your place easy to estimate. I was fortunate to catch 5 out of the 6. The one I missed won the 35 and under division. Overall I was pleased with the run.

Fix the watch. I reset the watch after trouble shooting the watch when I got home. Its working fine now but I have concerns.

I was very impressed with the race direcors and the volunteers who made the tough race enjoyable. About 10% of the racers did not finish the 50 mile event. I was thrilled when I was told I won my age group. I was smiling like a four year old getting their first trophy. I estmated the course would take me 5:30 to finish but told my wife I would be thrilled with 5. I knew on the last lap I could beat 5 hours if I kept my pace and was very pleased with the overall 4:53. My swin was good. I am not a strong cyclist but I saw just how weak I am. I only passsed two people and that's because one racer had a flat and his friend stopped to help him. The run was good and I was pleased with 11 min miles given the hills and heat. I really enjoyed my first event and realize I have a lot of work to do. Hats off to the Tulsa Area Triathletes for a good race