Grand Columbian Super Triathlon - Long (Half) Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Smooth swim. Guide lines under water made siting unnecessary. I sited only to see when the corner was coming up and to be prepared to pass people coming up.

I would start in the 1st wave. The first 100yrds were tough because I was stuck behind so many people until we rounded the first buoy and it thinned out.

I was not in a rush. I wanted to make sure I remembered everything. Getting all the sand off my feet was not easy. Plus there was a good bit of space between water exit and transition. It probably took me 2 minutes to get to my gear. Plus I had to get all the stuff I took off into a plastic bag so it didn't get lost.

I could move a little faster, maybe.

The bike course was killer, but super fun. The hills pushed me to my limit and so did the downhills. Got up to 35mph one time and that was crazy fast. The bike handled everything really well. Stayed in aero as much as I could. There were a few downhills that were so steep I stayed on the horns so I could use the brakes. I really tried to keep my mind in low adventure zone, but push myself at the same time. I stopped once when my bike seat bag fell off and once to pee.

Have a better understanding of what the course is like. I trained on hills but not nearly enough for that course. Make sure bike seat bag is secure.

The volunteers took my bike and racked it for me. Getting bike shoes off and running shoes on took a bit cause my shoes were in a plastic bag. Plus I had to get all my GU's out of the bag and into my shirt pockets.

Not really sure. maybe have my GU rubberbanded together so I could grab them all and go. Then get them into my pockets as I'm running.

Not super fond of running on rocks/dirt. I did really well at pacing myself on the run. I paid attention to my breathing and my legs. Both were performing well. Around mile 7-8 I started to notice my lungs were burning when I tried to breathe deeply, but it didn't affect my ability to keep going. Aid stations were well positioned for being available about every 30 minutes, which was right when I needed to eat a GU. I started getting overheated in the beginning three miles, so I started pouring water on my head and that made all the difference. I just kept on running and reminding myself "this is what we do, we run." I stopped for one bathroom break.

This run was so solid for me. To complete a half mary after the swim and that gnarly bike and do it at a 12.3mph pace is fantastic for me. I could not have asked for more.

Next time I need to remember my chapstick!

Didn't actually do much warming down. Some very mild stretching. I forgot to have post race clothing available, so I was a little cold after standing around for a while. Hot shower helped with that!


Overall strength and speed endurance. I built up pretty fast to be ready for this race. So I guess I would want to start my build earlier.


I would have appreciated an aid station after the major hill climb. The distance from start to 1st aid station was really far, so I had to really watch my water intake. Overall TriFreaks did a great job!