Wow, great idea for a sticky! I've been waiting for this!
Name: Jeff
Age: 31
Clyde/Athena: Clyde
# of Triathlons completed: 2
Longest race: Sprint (400m/15Mile/5k)
Next Race: Sprint June '10 -
Wisconsin Triterium Triathlon, hoping for the Olympic
Just finished my 2nd sprint tri this weekend in McFarland, WI. Fun, small (only about 84 people) very informal, and great for first timers. Fun for anyone, actually.
I had a few challenges (rear wheel un-trueing at about mile 9, last 6 miles were against a headwind with a wobbly wheel), but I tried to have fun.
I think the most memorable portions of the race were having my wife, two girls, and mother-in-law cheering me on at the halfway mark of the bike and catching a football thrown by one of the race volunteers during the run portion.
Also the run got better after I saw a guy run past listening to an mp3 player; I realized that I hadn't seen any rules against those, and remembered that i had my Pandora-fied cell phone in my jersey pocket. On goes the Pandora Chromeo station, and Jeff rocks out for the rest of the run!
My advice:
If you haven't tried a triathlon, do it. Anybody can finish a triathlon. Don't be afraid of the other people, the other racers, the bystanders. My experience tells me that the racers are all supportive of each other, and the bystanders are supportive and in awe of the triathletes - that includes you, clyde / athena or not.
For technical advice, make sure to check your equipment before the evening before the race. I almost didn't participate in this one because of this!