Chisago Lakes Triathlon Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Chisago City, Minnesota
United States
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 27m 19s
Overall Rank = 207/1024
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 26/127
Pre-race routine:

Wok up at 3:00(!) for the one-hour drive to race. I move slow in the morning, so was on the road by 4. TA opened at 5, and I always like to get there early. However, that was actually unnecessary for this race since each racer had an assigned spot on the racks. Oh well. Coffee and camaraderie got me through the wait ;)
Event warmup:

None - for a race of this distance, I don't warm up. I got in the water for a few strokes before my wave start, but that was just to get wet and test out the goggles.
Swim
  • 40m 52s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

Water temp felt great, despite sounding warm, and no chop/waves. I was perfectly comfortable in my full-sleeve suit. Swimming is not my strong point, but I was very pleased with how it went for me.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 01m 32s
Comments:

Wetsuit strippers were available, but I chose not to use them - it was a steep short climb up to TA out of the water, and I decided to strip my suit myself once at my nest. T1 went fine overall - nothing great, but nothing bad.
The transition spots were really packed together (more than usual, IMO) - I struggled a bit unracking my bike and getting it "clear", but no big deal.
What would you do differently?:

Let the stripper do her thing ;)
Bike
  • 2h 54m 5s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.30 mile/hr
Comments:

I crashed trying to avoid a pile-up at the first bottle exchange (why oh why was I not going slower??? Stupid me - I could've very easily prevented my own crash if I had just been a tad more cautious!!) - pretty gnarly road rash & sprained wrist. Bike seemed OK, so I put the chain back on & finished bike leg.
No drafting issues, and no issues with bad behavior from other riders.
For folks doing their first race with a bottle-exchange: GO SLOW THRU THE EXCHANGE (especially the first one!) - even if you aren't getting a bottle yourself. These exchanges are crash magnets - I emphasize again - you really cannot be too cautious going through them ;)
What would you do differently?:

Go slower through that first bottle exchange in particular. Otherwise, was very happy with bike portion.
Transition 2
  • 01m 27s
Comments:

Tight transition space made racking bike slower than desired, but no biggie. Ran ~50 yards towards Run Out, and decided to turn around back to my nest, and dump my near-empty Gu flak out of my jersey pocket. Cost me a few seconds, but the flask bulge was irritating my road rash.
What would you do differently?:

Ditch Gu flask before leaving my nest. In a more important race, I would've just dropped the flask, but no reason to dump perfectly good equipment in a normal race.
Run
  • 1h 49m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

One of my goals was to run the entire run leg. I allowed myself to walk through each aid station to ensure I drank a water and Gatorade at each (sun was pretty brutal at that point, and temps was ~85), but I ran the rest - I was thrilled about that. I was happy my pace stayed consistent throughout the run, but was happy to see that finish line when I finally did!!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing comes to mind.
Post race
Warm down:

Food & mingle & visited the medics to get patched up ;)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bike crash, but that didn't hinder me too much

Event comments:

This was my first-ever 70.3 (WOOT!), and I'm thrilled with how well it went for me, despite the crash :)
The race is an extremely well-run race event, start to finish. Organiztion & communication was excellent. The volunteers were plentiful & very helpful. Would highly recommend this race to others.




Last updated: 2010-07-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:52 | 2112 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 42/127
Overall: 0/1024
Performance: Average
none
Suit: full-sleeve B70 Helix
Course: Straight out-n-back course along a buoy line. Not a big fan of this since folks can stray too easily into oncoming traffic - I had one near miss on the way back in, and I was pretty far outside (not inside) of course!
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:32
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:54:05 | 56 miles | 19.30 mile/hr
Age Group: 48/127
Overall: 0/1024
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Nice course overall, and very clearly marked and very well marshalled. A coupla bad stretches of road, but certainly nothing unreasonable. Numerous rolling hills, but no huge climbs. No scary turns (IMO).
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 87
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:27
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:49:23 | 13.1 miles | 08m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/127
Overall: 0/1024
Performance: Good
Course: Nice course - some rolling hills, but nothing killer. Portion near turnaround point was gravel. Again, course was very well marked, and very well marshalled.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %UNK
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5