Seemed like I wasn't swimming in a consistent group like I usually do. Felt very relaxed throughout. Caught many stragglers from previous waves. Big log jams at turn bouy. Couldn't find second turn bouy because we were looking directly into the sun's glare. Ended up taking very good lines just out of luck. Managed not to swallow too much water. Actually swam over some people and later heard myself cursing a group of slower women who had set up a wall six or seven across as we went past some anchored boats.

Goal time: 16:00 Actual time: 12:23 +/- Goal Overall: -3:37

Swim harder the final 100m. Don't curse the slower swimmers (what was that all about?).

Transition area is in the sand.. It's pretty tight, but works well. Picked a spot in the middle, near a big tree. Made it easy to spot from a distance.

Went into T1 and acidentally turned off watch instead of hitting lap button. Didn't discover that mistake until the last part of the bike ride. Started to put on my helmet before I put on my shirt... had to unbuckle and put on shirt (idiot). Sand wasn't as much of an issue as I thought it would be.... got there early enough that my ground towel was still (relatively) free of sand. Body Glide really made suit fly off. Put shoes on in T1 instead of on bike due to hill right out of T1.
Goal Time: 2:36 Actual Time: 2:06 +/- Goal Overall: -4:07

Put helmet on AFTER I put my shirt on. Go up the short hill with feet on top of shoes... it flattens out pretty quickly after 20 meter climb.

Passed people very regularly. Felt strong on hills. kept dailing it back so I wouldn't burn out my legs for run.

Best moment: riding on flat on lap two with guy on very spendy bike, each of us are passing others frantically and winding through town in an unspoken personal challenge. We get to the uphill and I reach down and hit my old timey gear shift (no index, on the down tube) as he hits his on his aero bars. As the incline increases, I pull away and I hear him mutter, "awesome" with a slight laugh. Never saw him again. It's not about the bike baby.

Wanted to average 15mph. Averaged closer to 14mph. Hills were not as steep as I recalled, but were longer than I remembered.

On the toughest parts of the climbs, the elite riders really went by like I was standing still. Nobody else really passed me on the ride. My extra hill training helped on this course, but I should have done more.


Goal Time: 40:00 Actual Time: 44:32 +/- Goal Overall: +0:25

Push harder on the hills. May have held back a bit too much. Missed my goal time by 5 minutes.

Kept shoes on until I got to the rack (forgot to get out of them). Got shoes and socks on faster than I expected... found a stone bench off the sand to put stuff on. Didn't take on any water in T2 hoping it would keep upset stomach away.


Goal Time: 1:18 Actual Time: 1:36 +/- Goal Overall: +0:43

Remember to take off shoes while on bike. Find a way to not have to run in socks

Was happy with 8:00 first mile, given hills. Was getting close to bonking on final uphill section. Last 200 meters of uphill are heartbreaking because you can't see the turnaround and your legs are screaming. When you do see the turnaround, it bubbles out around a grove of trees and get even steeper for a few feet. Downhill was a great relief. Ran hard over final mile, but should have pushed harder at turn around. Fast final mile helped me make goal time during run.


Goal Time: 24:00 Actual Time: 23:01 +/- Goal Overall: -0:22

Push harder at turn around as downhill commenced and push harder on final mile. Goal was to be over 160bpm on final mile, but only got there at the very end. Also, forgot to have a good attitude on the uphill. I let the incline get me down

Stop and get a couple orange slices. Walk around and lightly stretch. Drink GU2O


Need to do more specific speed work. Focused too much on making the distances and adding hill work, but didn't do any speed work before this event. Could be stronger in the swim and on the run. Also a better bike would help -- maybe it's a little about the bike after all.


I love this race. Very well run and a terrific course. You won't set any personal bests here, but it's a great indicator of your fitness level and the scenery is hard to beat. Good strong field, but everyone is very friendly.

I think the swim was a bit short (or a lot short) and the bike was a bit long (my computer showed 10.7 miles versus the 10 advertised).

After 4 Tri races in my life, I've finally been able to do one without puking!!! I think the no water in T2 and taking my Gu a bit earlier helped. I also was very cognizant of the amount of water I was taking in while swimming.


Goal Time: 1:24:00 Actual Time: 1:23:38 +/- Goal Overall: -0:22 Beat my goal!

2001 Race time: 1:35:39 Beat my old time by 12 minutes! Felt good about that. Also moved up 128 places in the overall standings and 29 places in my age group. Was in the 82nd percentile in this race versus the 61st last time. Thank you BTers for keeping me focused and for the great advice!!

Biggest factor in this race: rain was called for all week in the weather reports. It turned out that it was sunny and fairly warm. Doing this in the rain would not have been fun. The downhill on the bike was hard enough without having to worry about slipping off the hill.

Definitely will be back next year.