Images are the property of Ski Pix. I usually respect digital rights, but digital copies were $35 each. Ouch!
Overall 237/314
Male 50-54 9th (out of 10)
Men 122nd (out of 147)
OFFICIAL Chip Times:
01:43:34
Swim: 21:15
T1: 2:40
Bike: 40:18
T2: 2:20
Run: 36:59
01:43:34 (1:38:42)
Swim: 21:15 (22:13) -0:58
T1: 2:40 (2:19) +0:21
Bike: 40:18 (37:08) +3:10
T2: 2:20 (1:19) + 1:01
Run: 36:59 (35:41) +1:18
A good 5 minutes slower than last year with most of that being on the bike. I weighed in this morning at 205.5 (vs 197.6 last year which was 9 pounds heavier than the year before).
Overall, I had a good race. I arrived around 6:20 in the morning, set up transition, picked up chip and body marking, used the port-o-let and then milled about before donning my wetsuit.
Swim was less choppy than last year, but certainly not glass. I was actually surprised that I was faster on the swim compared to last year. The course was shorter with a Garmin distance of 786 yards versus 819 yards in 2023.
T1 seemed smooth and fluid, but was 20 seconds slower. I blame this on the absence of wetsuit strippers. It was also trickier to put my cycling shoes on, but with the warmer weather, I skipped gloves.
Bike was great and I felt like I was moving really well. I seemed to be pacing really well and felt confident on the hills.
T2 was a little rough. I got out of my cycling gear fine, but my abs seized when trying to don my running shoes. I stretched a bit and then slipped them on standing up. I guess I should be thankful it only cost me a minute.
Run was OK. I again stopped at the port-o-let before getting on the course. I felt like I was plodding along in the warmer weather. I walked up the hills and took my time grabbing electrolytes at the aid stations. Being a minute off the pace is about what should be expected given my weight jump.
Chris Alcorn won my division with a time of 1:10:30. I was 20 minutes ahead of Robert Linder who had a great swim and bike, but finished with a 48 minute 5K. Hopefully he was just tired and not cramping.
Comparing chip times to my age group, I was 9th on the swim, 5th in T1, 8th on the bike, 7th on T2 and 8th on the run. This surprises me a little bit, but interesting to see where I need to make up time. Nearly all of the 55-59 year old men were faster than me with the slowest time being 01:46:43.
Garmin Times:
Swim 21:16 (786 yards)
T1: 2:32
Bike: 40:16 (8.98 miles, 13.4 mph)
T2: 2:17
Run: 36:08 (3.09 miles, 11:41/mile)
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Total 1:42:29 (maybe it did not count my 1 minute pee brake?)
This was the first year of Without Limits running the event. In the past it had been run by Racing Underground. Overall it was a great race experience. A touch more expensive, no finisher medals, but much nicer race shirts. Same cozy race vibe, very well supported and post race pancake breakfast. I will definitely keep this on my calendar for next year.
While I did not have to purchase anything special for this event, I was amazed at how much gear I have accumulated and have at my disposal compared to other folks.
- Tri Shorts - $50
- Tri Top - $50
- Wetsuit - $100
- Goggles - $20
- Bike - $1800
- Helmet - $100
- Bike Shoes - $100
- Sunglasses - $100
- Running Shoes - $150
- Visor - $20
- Race Belt - $20
A good number of athletes were not wearing wetsuits. I saw folks enjoying their race on cruiser bikes and mountain bikes. One girl passed me on the run wearing Teva sandals. This sport really is for everyone from those of us who want to overthink to the folks that just get out and do.
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