Woke up in time to say good night to my roommates on Sunday morning (3:30) and drive the 2 hours to Wilmington for another triathlon last weekend. I had to arrive early to register late, as I had forgotten to do it on the website. This one was quite a bit larger than the last, with around 275 people registered. That meant I had to wait an hour and a half to swim while I watch everybody else start. When it finally got to be my turn I jumped in the pool, checked my goggles, and I was off at the count. I kicked off and was immediately greeted by chlorinated 84 degree water flushing into my left eye. I had apparently not checked them well enough beforehand and paid the price for it with a swim time 45 seconds slower than my previous time in Asheville a week earlier. Oops.
The bike course was flat and devoid of wind so I was looking to set a pretty good time on it. Was frustrated to discover I averaged 20.5 mph, hardly any faster than during the Cary duathlon where I biked 3 times as far. My run time was about 22 minutes, also a little slower than I had hoped although still pretty solid. Overall I’m pretty happy with 29th in men and 4th in my age group. Full results here. Only top 30 finisher with a 6 min+ swim time, huzzah!
More Ecuador pictures:
it’s called a sprint because calling it a “baby Ironman” makes competitors feel bad. Actually, the half-Ironman distance is often referred to as “Ironman 70.3″ these days for pretty much that reason. You don’t want to feel like you’re competing in something only half as difficult, half as great, half an Ironman. Maybe you’ll only feel like half a man (or woman).
One of your pictures is Jarel Smash!!! Please elaborate? Is a guy named Jarel smashing something?
Looks like you and your cohorts did a lot of hard work down there. Is it an experience you want to repeat?
You have done a fantastic amount of experiencing the world in your 22 years on the planet!
Aunt Binky