The swim was not good at the beginning, I was still waiting in line (but really close to the water) when the gun went off. I got beaten hard for a good 400, barely moving at all. Then it started thinning out and things got better.
Just like planned, I swam at a pace that would allow me to keep a good form.
There were many newbies in this race and being a 2,800 athletes swim people was nervous and feisty. When somebody touched your leg, instead of moving out of the way they were trying to make the room by pushing! this happened to me two or three times. The swim in the canal part wasn't that good neither. I thought that it would be wide enough but I was wrong.

Be in line earlier and get in the water ASAP.

A bit disoriented while in the tent but I got composed after a few seconds. I sat down on the grass.

Nothing.

I got comfortable and raced in my own box, at my pace. I never pushed hard for any reason, this is probably the smartest bike leg I have ever done in my life.
Aid stations were poorly setup, portable restrooms not visible and hard to get to. When I saw the way it was on the first two I decided to do what I was never able to do before: relieve myself on the go. That was a great decision since it saved me a TON of time. I peed a whooping SEVEN times on the bike segment, even being afraid of getting dehydrated.
There were no draft packs at the beginning of the bike but towards the end I got passed by a HUGE peloton of 40+ people. I saw nobody at the penalty tents.
Obviously, the people on the bikes was doing nothing to keep cheating in line.

Absolutely NOTHING, my best bike split by far when it comes to execution. Easy, good turnover and intelligently done.

Uneventful T2, went to the restroom right before going to the tent. This was the last time until after the race was over.

Nothing.

I started the marathon at (what I felt) an easy pace. Very comfortable for the entirety of the first loop. I saw a lot of teammates cheering. They told me that Mikey was 28 minutes ahead and Erik 23 minutes. I had no intentions to reel them in, not competing with my peers. It still was good news to know I was doing well.
I saw my wife, Victor and Jackie many times, they were cheering like crazy.
The first loop was too easy, I could have ran it backwards, second loop I started hurting a bit. On the second half of the second loop the length of the race and the heat started weighing down on me. Now I was walking the aid stations and the "hills" which is nothing but a very slight elevation change.
The third loop was pain, but an enjoyable one. I knew I was right on track for a personal record so I was content, I also knew that even walking wouldn't rob me of my sub 12 hour goal.
I thought a lot about my life, my family, my friends, the people I mentor and mostly about God and the fact that He allowed for me to be this healthy and strong. I started feeling dry mouth so I increased the already incredible amount of fluids that I was putting in and squeezed the last gel that I had into my mouth. At this time all I had was caffeinated (on purpose, of course).
I caught up with Erik (teammate) that is waaaay faster than me but was having some serious stomach issues. He was walking so I stopped to talk to him a bit, trying to encourage him. We started running together, he picked himself up from the floor and gutted out the last 6 miles in a lot of pain.
We ran together all the way to the finish chute, but I had energy and rocketed through it hearing Mike Reilly misspell my last name one more time:
Ernesto Villarrroeuemfbskdgfl (Villarroel) YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!
Went through the finish line, got my $600 medal, cap and t-shirt and was greeted by these two wonderful volunteers that were all over me trying to make sure I was alright. Got my finisher's pic and went to kiss my wife, hug my good friend Victor. Later I caught up with Jackie and her friend Judy, we talked for a while and had fun.

Maybe try to hold it a bit more at the beginning, maybe five or six miles.

Ate half a burrito and drank a Coke. My stomach was shut from racing all day. I couldn't manage to eat until much later.
I felt elated, very happy that I was able to execute my plan and race smart, not hard.


The heat and humidity on the run course slowed me down, I do not perform well in these conditions


Just like all the IM races, well oiled, organized meticulously and executed to perfection. I would change the direction of the bike course and reverse it because of the predominant winds from the South in the area. There's more tree cover at the end if you changed the direction of the course.
I would make sure that everybody is in the water on time to fire the cannon at 7.