September 13: Monday (Well, Sunday) Morning Quarterbacking.

I always think I could have gone a little bit faster. But if I could have, I would have, right? At the time of the run portion of the race, I absolutely couldn't (or didn't want to) push any faster. Turns out there were 106 guys in my division, and 3036 racers overall. My official results were as follows:

Swim: 23:27, 58th out of 106. Probably the best swim I've had in years, and maybe the best I'll ever have.

T1 (Transition One): 1:37 There was only one guy with a faster first transition than me. I change clothes fast...

Bike: 1:02:10 (about 23.8 mph) Fastest bike split I've ever had at that distance. Must've been the chocolate waffles.

T2: 1:10 Again only one (different) guy faster, so I get the transition title. Yippie.

Run: 40:26 (about 6:30/mile) 26th fastest run. Pretty disappointing for me. I've done that run 3 minutes, or half a mile, faster.

Total time of 2:08:48, 33rd out of 106 in age group, fifth American, 373rd overall out of 3036. The guy that won my division went under two hours by a minute. The fastest overall amateur went 1:53:26. He is 23.

So top third of my age group, much better than I expected, and despite the poor run, I'm pretty happy. If they keep having the World Championships in nice places, I'll keep coming back if I qualify. Next year is Hungary (I'll pass...)

Some folks asked me to elaborate on some of the technical aspects of racing, in general, and at this level. Here are a few tidbits, just in random order as they come to me:

• The swim can be really scary if you panic. We saw a guy in the sprint race this morning turn back, grab a lifesaver surfboard, and rip off his wetsuit because of a panic attack. I know of one guy in my age group that did not finish because of sea-sickness (it was a little choppy.)
• There was a point in the middle of the swim where my hand hit bottom. We were in the middle of the bay. I thought it was a big fish. It made me swim faster.
• I came out of the water 58th, but started the bike in 45th. Can't tell me transitions don't count for something.
• Our bikes are carbon fiber monococque frames, with carbon fiber wheels, saddles, and handlebars. They weigh about 16 lbs, and cost as much $10,000. If you get a flat, we have co2 canisters with sealant in them to repair the damage, but in this short of a race, you would lose too much time to stay in the hunt.
• Our shoes are clipped in before we start, and we rubber-band them in position so they don't spin when we're running through transition. We jump on our bikes at a full run (yeah, can be painful) and slide our feet in as we ride. reverse the process for the finish.
• Our running shoes have elastic laces, so we just slip them on. Running is the least technical part of the race, but my racing flats are kind of interesting, about 4 oz. (your work shoes weigh about 16 oz each) and the upper portion is made of Tyvek paper. They only last about 60 miles.
• Nutrition is taken through liquid form, or in little energy gels, like Hammer Gel, which was all over the course and race expo. It's actually made in Whitefish, Montana

There were other Montanans who did a lot better than me. Brad Leondard (from Missoula) placed third in the Men's 75-79, and I believe Molly Hayes from Bozeman may have gotten on the podium in the same age group for women. Megan Fischer from Missoula won the women's A5 (amputee) paratriathlon. She is Montana's first World Champion, I believe.

We watched Nathanael place fourth in his division in the Sprint World Championships this morning (exactly half the distance of what we did yesterday.

Mostly, we just ate today. I had a major meal every three hours, and did some damage to the Sheraton's Sunday Brunch Buffet. I call the day after a race Food Profit-Taking day. I get to eat and drink whatever I want. I managed to induce food coma at least once.

We're off to the awards banquet, for a big Australian barbecue and some team uniform-swapping. Looking for an authentic Aussie racing suit. Hopefully it's been cleaned.

One more update tomorrow, then this show is closed. Thanks for reading, and thanks again for the support.

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