I decided not to use the shorty wetsuit, as the water was very comfortable and I figured I'd be touching for most of the course and wouldn't need the extra floatation. Any benefit in that regard would be offset in transition and it clearly paid off, as my transition time was pretty good.

I think the combination of a shorter and shallower course really helped me this year. Last year, I finished 8/9 in my AG and 91/168 overall with a time of 8:41. I came out of the water quicker than last year too.

My run in was good and I high-stepped it at least another 20 feet, which helped me catch up to the last wave of Olympic swimmers. I didn't do the Devil's Lake Lunge like I should have. I instead wade/walked until it got too deep and I had to resort to actual swimming.

Once I was able to touch again, I did the lunge and it felt much faster. As I exited, I noticed the crowd was very close to the water's edge. I decided to turn it into a Gallagher-ish triathlon and sprayed the entire front row of people with a good kick of water. Not so it was obvious though :)

Do the lunge earlier
Maybe kick a little harder on the exit and see if I could spray more people as I left the water.

I ran down the wrong aisle and when I went to duck under the rack, I threw my back out. Bummer :( Then I put my helmet on first and buckled it, before I realized I hadn't put my Tri Donk jersey on. Shoes went on pretty easily, thanks to those stretchy laces. 94/296 is pretty good overall I guess.

Run down the correct aisle.
Not throw my back out.
Wait to put my helmet on until after I put my shirt on.

Because I accidentally registered Oly and switched, my low number (25) not only impressed some of the ladies, but allowed me to be the first Sprint out of the gates, which meant I was in the midst of the faster swimming Olys when I hit the bike.

I didn't get passed much and when I did, I tried to keep pace, which I think helped me go a little quicker than I would've if I were alone.

My back didn't really bother me too much on the bike, but I did lose my chain at the bottom of the big hill by RA. I even kicked down into the little sprocket on the front before going over the tracks and pedaled, to make sure it was in gear. When I went to pedal on the other side, the chain was off. It went back on relatively quickly and I don't remember noticing back pain. I pedaled sideways to get up speed to head up the hill.

I still don't think I've found the right gearing for me going up longer hills. I should probably be pushing myself a little harder.

The bike course didn't change and my time was clearly better than last year- 48:11, which was good for 3/9 and 40/168 last year.


Danny B told me that he "jumped" over the tracks, to avoid the bumps and carry speed. I might try that, but I'm also feaful of bending rims/popping tires.

I would also try to experiment with my long uphill gearing.

I could barely stand up straight when I got off the bike and had all I could do to walk it to the rack. At least I already had my running shoes on. That must be why my transition was still so quick, because I basically walked the whole thing.

Try not to hurt my back in T1.

I started by walking out of the transition and down the street. I didn't think I'd be able to jog at all and would have to walk the course. My back continued to loosen up as I went on and I was able to start shuffling about a quarter mile in. I continued that pace comfortably for the remainder of the distance.

I never felt like I pushed myself from a cardio standpoint, because I was going as fast as back would allow me. Even with the bad back, I wasn't even two minutes slower than my healthy pace last year, so I'm encouraged by that. If I had ran the 27:08 I did last year (9/9 132/168), I would've moved up one spot in my group (not including slower transitions) and been on the cusp of the top-100 overall. Then again, if "ifs" were fifths, we'd all be drunk.

Try not to hurt myself in T1

Laid down and got a pretty good pop out of my back. Ate plenty of bagels and drank plenty of gatorade. Cheered the rest of the donks as they came through.


My back


It was nice hanging out with my fellow Donks and partaking in a little tri action. I did get a little sunburned, even though I did apply plenty of Bullfrog when I woke up. Special thanks to Dr. & Mrs. TriDDS (their real names) for hosting the post-race party.