I tend to pull right during my swim. Since I was not spotting the buoy because of the wind and waves, I ended up off course by 75-100 yards -- "bonus yards," as I like to call them. When I did not notice any other swimmers around me, I thought I was leading the wave.

Swim straight.

There are really two T-1s. After the swim there is a transition to remove wetsuits and put on running shoes for the beach path. The second one comes at the top of the beach path where the main transition area is. At the beach-level transition area, make sure you put your shoes someplace easy to find. Consider putting an orange sock in your shoes so they stand out. This tip is more relevant for the eary waves when there are 300 pair of nearly identical looking shoes all lined up together.

I left T-1 without my eye glasses. Had to go back and get them.

Chain came off while shifting to lower wheel. Had to stop and put it back on. Yet another mental error and delay.

Because my gear was dry from storing it in a heafty bag, my shoes were dry and easy to put on. My T-2 neighbors with wet gear did not have it as easy.

There are no mileage markers to gauge your pace during the race. The course map is online and I recommend getting some points of reference from it.

Walked. Iced the sore spots. Stretched.


Mental errors during the race, and did not train as well as I needed to. Calf injury sustained a month earlier.


Croixathlon is a lot of fun. The camp staff are helpful and enthusiastic. It is a great tri for beginners. I estimate at least 50% are beginner level, and many are first-timers.