Tried to keep it long and easy. They reversed the course direction to maximize the current....much appreciated.

Jelly fish were a big unknown for me. Lots of stings to the face, similar to a small electric shock. More of a small annoyance than a major obstalce.

Just once it would be nice to remove my wetsuit without a calf cramping.

Tried to keep it easy based on my lack of conditioning. Probably overcooked the first 35 miles. Made the most of 3 aid station stops to avoid any nutritional miscues. Those stops probably added close to a combined 30 minutes.

The course is described as having "swirling winds". This is a great description. Wind direction was all over the place and felt like a headwind more than a tailwind.

The lack of any elevation means you are peddling the entire time.

For those interested, the road conditions are good but half of the roads are course stone chips.

I started to overheat around mile 95. Wasn't so much of an issue for the bike but it did show up early in the run. Need to do a better job controlling core temp with water.

This was always going to be a walk-run. First 5 miles were fine, but the overheating continued from the bike and was eventually followed by my stomach shutting down. This forced me to walk miles 6-14. Once back to normal, I was able to walk-run the last 10ish miles and finish with a smile.

The local support is awesome and is a great energy boost.

It goes with out saying I had no business doing this race. 5 weeks of training is not nearly adequate and attempting this was a high risk decision. After deferring 2021 because of a case of covid, subsequently losing 6 months of training because of myocarditis,, and a staph infection and another round of covid in May-June, I wanted to at least toe the line and see what I could do. A failed attempt was better than no attempt. I was willing to fail, but also determined to grind. It was important to me to set an example of perseverance for the boys. I wouldn't change a thing! Despite the lack of training, using lessons from IM Arizona in 2008 allowed me to still set a new PR by over an hour.