Living near the lake, I'm pretty comfortable swimming in the open water but with this being my first triathlon, I was not prepared for the crowds. I made the mistake of starting in the middle of the pack and had to fight my way past the slower swimmers to some clear water. Same issues when I caught the slower swimmers from the wave in front. Never got any rhythm going and was exhausted by the finished. I didn't stay to the outside like I had planned, I swallowed too much water and felt sick through most of the swim, and I had to stop and use the bathroom after exiting the water (unable to take care of business in the cold water).

Start from the front of the pack and keep to the outside. Try not to swallow so much water. Relax. Take better care to not over-hydrate before race.

Considering the size of the transition area, I'm not sure how I could improve on my time. With this being my first tri, I probably did take an extra 10-20 seconds making sure I hadn't forgoten anything, but overall I had no issues.

nothing

The head wind on the first half was a killer, and being on a mountain bike certainly didn't help. Felt pretty nauseous from the swim for the first 20 minutes on the bike so took it easy. 2nd half, with wind on my back, I opened it up a little more and tried to hydrate since my stomach felt somewhat better. Hit speeds approaching 30mph on some short stretches, managed low 20's on the flat sections.

I had hoped to finish the bike leg in under 45 minutes but cosidering the winds, my equipment, and my stomach problems, I'm not too disappointed with my time. I look forward to doing this course next year on a road bike and hopefully less wind.

No problem finding my spot. Dropped helmet & glasses, did some very quick stretching to loosen up my legs and was off.

nothing

First mile felt ok, but with it about 30 seconds slower than my typical brick run pace, I knew my body was pretty tired from the swim & bike. Second mile was about the same and third mile was a struggle. I had nothing left in me at the finish. I was shooting for 24 minutes on the run so I'm most disappointed with this leg.

Extend distance of training runs to build endurance. More brick workouts.

Walked around the finish area, drank some Gatorade and water, ate a couple of bananas.


Over-hydrated pre race. My inability to avoid the mayhem on the swim took a lot out of me. Stomach issues, which might have been caused by breakfast.


Even with the wind, cold water and other issues, I really enjoyed my first tri. I hoped to finish around 1:30-1:35 so I'm a little bummed I missed my goal. I thought the race was incredibly organized for its size and the volunteers & spectators were great. Even though I plan on doing OLY tris next year, I will be doing this Sprint race again, determined to finish in under 1:30. Let the training begin!