Middle Tyger Sprint Triathlon June 2, 2007 - 5th Place

I raced the Middle Tyger Sprint triathlon (400 meter swim/14 mile bike/4 mile run) June 2 in Duncan, part of the Upstate South Carolina Triathlon Series. If you can believe it, this was my first triathlon in 2007! Hard to believe I have not raced a triathlon since the ITU Long Course Worlds in Australia last November. I'm a long course guy and short course speed is not my specialty, but I love sprint races because they are just that - sprints! I go all out all the time and don't have to worry about holding anything back. No need to worry about all the stuff that's so important in Ironman - pacing, hydration, nutrition or my diabetic nemesis, blood sugar. There's no time! The race is over in barely one hour! Just go, go, GO!

It was a 400 meter pool swim at the Middle Tyger YMCA, a fantastic aquatic center with wide 50 meter lanes. I love the 50 meter lane because I'm not the best at flip turns and its lots of space for settling into a rhythm. The bike was 14 miles of hills that I know well. My coach and friend Peter Kotland lives nearby and I ride these roads with him all the time. I hammered the bike as hard as I could and came off the bike in about 8th place. The run was a hilly 4 miles. I tried to set a 6:30 pace to practice for some longer races coming up. I caught a few in front of me and managed to finish 5th overall out of about 120. (I should get a time bonus for changing diapers in the middle of the night! Ha!) I was pleased that my friend and fellow Hincapie Triathlon teammate Jamie Church got the win. Great job Jamie!

(Also, baby Janna "saw" her first race. Okay, she might have slept through most of it, but I think I heard her say "Go Daddy" one time!)